Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
  • Register
  • Login
  • Menu
  • Home
  • Current
  • Archives
  • Announcements
  • About
    • About the Journal
    • Submissions
    • Editorial Team
    • Privacy Statement
    • Contact
  • Register
  • Login

Quality in Sport

Potential applications of creatine supplements in gynecology and women's health: current evidence and future direction
  • Home
  • /
  • Potential applications of creatine supplements in gynecology and women's health: current evidence and future direction
  1. Home /
  2. Archives /
  3. Vol. 67 (2026) /
  4. Medical Sciences

Potential applications of creatine supplements in gynecology and women's health: current evidence and future direction

Authors

  • Aleksandra Muszalska Szpital Wojewódzki w Poznaniu, Juraszów 7/19, 60-479 Poznań https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9162-399X
  • Julia Wiecanowska Greater Poland Regional Hospital (Szpital Wojewódzki w Poznaniu), Juraszów 7/19, 60-479 Poznań, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1637-2283
  • Brajan Roczyński Poznan University Clinical Hospital (Uniwersytecki Szpital Kliniczny w Poznaniu), Poznań, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9705-4557

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12775/QS.2026.67.74072

Keywords

creatine, Creatine brain, creatine supplementation, menopausal women, diet in pregnancy, Menstrual Cycle

Abstract

Background: Creatine is one of the most extensively studied dietary supplements and has traditionally been used to improve physical performance and muscle function. Increasing evidence suggests that its role extends beyond sports nutrition, with potential applications in women's health across different stages of the female lifespan.

Aim of the study: This review summarizes the biological functions of creatine, evaluates commercially available forms of supplementation, and critically discusses current evidence regarding its potential applications in gynecology and women's health, including the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause.

Materials and methods: A systematic review of PubMed (last 20 years) was conducted using the keywords: „creatine”, „gynecology”.

Conclusions: Creatine supplementation is emerging as a promising supportive strategy in women's health beyond sports nutrition. Creatine monohydrate remains the preferred formulation because of its established efficacy and safety. Evidence suggests that creatine may improve hydration, reduce fatigue, and support physical performance during the reproductive years, while preclinical studies indicate potential fetal protective effects during pregnancy. In postmenopausal women, particularly when combined with resistance training, creatine may enhance lean body mass and muscle strength, with emerging evidence also supporting benefits for cognitive function. However, further large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm its long-term safety, optimal dosing, and clinical efficacy in female-specific conditions.

References

1. Smith-Ryan AE, DelBiondo GM, Brown AF, Kleiner SM, Tran NT, Ellery SJ. Creatine in women's health: bridging the gap from menstruation through pregnancy to menopause. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2025 Dec;22(1):2502094. https://doi.org/10.1080/15502783.2025.2502094

2. Gutiérrez-Hellín J, Del Coso J, Franco-Andrés A, Gamonales JM, Espada MC, González-García J, López-Moreno M, Varillas-Delgado D. Creatine Supplementation Beyond Athletics: Benefits of Different Types of Creatine for Women, Vegans, and Clinical Populations-A Narrative Review. Nutrients. 2024 Dec 29;17(1):95. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17010095

3. Smith-Ryan AE, Cabre HE, Eckerson JM, Candow DG. Creatine Supplementation in Women's Health: A Lifespan Perspective. Nutrients. 2021 Mar 8;13(3):877. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030877

4. Dickinson H, Bain E, Wilkinson D, Middleton P, Crowther CA, Walker DW. Creatine for women in pregnancy for neuroprotection of the fetus. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Dec 19;2014(12):CD010846. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD010846.pub2

5. Kreider RB, Jäger R, Purpura M. Bioavailability, Efficacy, Safety, and Regulatory Status of Creatine and Related Compounds: A Critical Review. Nutrients. 2022 Feb 28;14(5):1035. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14051035

6. Antonio J, Candow DG, Forbes SC, Gualano B, Jagim AR, Kreider RB, Rawson ES, Smith-Ryan AE, VanDusseldorp TA, Willoughby DS, Ziegenfuss TN. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021 Feb 8;18(1):13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-021-00412-w

7. Fazio C, Elder CL, Harris MM. Efficacy of Alternative Forms of Creatine Supplementation on Improving Performance and Body Composition in Healthy Subjects: A Systematic Review. J Strength Cond Res. 2022 Sep 1;36(9):2663-2670. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003873 Epub 2021 Feb 11.

8. Spillane M, Schoch R, Cooke M, Harvey T, Greenwood M, Kreider R, Willoughby DS. The effects of creatine ethyl ester supplementation combined with heavy resistance training on body composition, muscle performance, and serum and muscle creatine levels. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2009 Feb 19;6:6. https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-6-6

9. Moore, S. R., Gordon, A. N., Cabre, H. E., Hackney, A. C., & Smith-Ryan, A. E. (2023). A Randomized Controlled Trial of Changes in Fluid Distribution across Menstrual Phases with Creatine Supplementation. Nutrients, 15(2), 429. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15020429

10. Ellery, S. J., Walker, D. W., & Dickinson, H. (2016). Creatine for women: a review of the relationship between creatine and the reproductive cycle and female-specific benefits of creatine therapy. Amino acids, 48(8), 1807–1817. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-016-2199-y

11. Sömjen, D., Weisman, Y., Mor, Z., Harell, A., & Kaye, A. M. (1991). Regulation of proliferation of rat cartilage and bone by sex steroid hormones. The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology, 40(4-6), 717–723. https://doi.org/10.1016/0960-0760(91)90296-h

12. Gordon, A. N., Moore, S. R., Patterson, N. D., Hostetter, M. E., Cabre, H. E., Hirsch, K. R., Hackney, A. C., & Smith-Ryan, A. E. (2023). The Effects of Creatine Monohydrate Loading on Exercise Recovery in Active Women throughout the Menstrual Cycle. Nutrients, 15(16), 3567. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15163567

13. Ostojic, S. M., Forbes, S. C., & Candow, D. G. (2022). Do Pregnant Women Consume Enough Creatine? Evidence from NHANES 2011-2018. Annals of nutrition & metabolism, 78(2), 114–116. https://doi.org/10.1159/000520818

14. Dickinson, H., Ellery, S., Ireland, Z., LaRosa, D., Snow, R., & Walker, D. W. (2014). Creatine supplementation during pregnancy: summary of experimental studies suggesting a treatment to improve fetal and neonatal morbidity and reduce mortality in high-risk human pregnancy. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 14, 150. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2393-14-150

15. LaRosa, D. A., Ellery, S. J., Snow, R. J., Walker, D. W., & Dickinson, H. (2016). Maternal creatine supplementation during pregnancy prevents acute and long-term deficits in skeletal muscle after birth asphyxia: a study of structure and function of hind limb muscle in the spiny mouse. Pediatric research, 80(6), 852–860. https://doi.org/10.1038/pr.2016.153

16. LaRosa, D. A., Ellery, S. J., Parkington, H. C., Snow, R. J., Walker, D. W., & Dickinson, H. (2016). Maternal Creatine Supplementation during Pregnancy Prevents Long-Term Changes in Diaphragm Muscle Structure and Function after Birth Asphyxia. PloS one, 11(3), e0149840. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0149840

17. Ellery, S. J., LaRosa, D. A., Kett, M. M., Della Gatta, P. A., Snow, R. J., Walker, D. W., & Dickinson, H. (2016). Dietary creatine supplementation during pregnancy: a study on the effects of creatine supplementation on creatine homeostasis and renal excretory function in spiny mice. Amino acids, 48(8), 1819–1830. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-015-2150-7

18. Muccini, A. M., Tran, N. T., de Guingand, D. L., Philip, M., Della Gatta, P. A., Galinsky, R., Sherman, L. S., Kelleher, M. A., Palmer, K. R., Berry, M. J., Walker, D. W., Snow, R. J., & Ellery, S. J. (2021). Creatine Metabolism in Female Reproduction, Pregnancy and Newborn Health. Nutrients, 13(2), 490. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13020490

19. Davis, S. R., Pinkerton, J., Santoro, N., & Simoncini, T. (2023). Menopause-Biology, consequences, supportive care, and therapeutic options. Cell, 186(19), 4038–4058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.08.016

20. Ko, S. H., & Kim, H. S. (2020). Menopause-Associated Lipid Metabolic Disorders and Foods Beneficial for Postmenopausal Women. Nutrients, 12(1), 202. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12010202

21. Pertesi, S., Coughlan, G., Puthusseryppady, V., Morris, E., & Hornberger, M. (2019). Menopause, cognition and dementia - A review. Post reproductive health, 25(4), 200–206. https://doi.org/10.1177/2053369119883485

22. Naddafha, S., Antonio, J., Kreider, R. B., & Stout, J. R. (2026). Creatine monohydrate for lean mass, strength, and bone density in postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 23(1), 2668435. https://doi.org/10.1080/15502783.2026.2668435

23. Chilibeck, P. D., Candow, D. G., Landeryou, T., Kaviani, M., & Paus-Jenssen, L. (2015). Effects of Creatine and Resistance Training on Bone Health in Postmenopausal Women. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 47(8), 1587–1595. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000571

24. Korovljev, D., Ostojic, J., Panic, J., Ranisavljev, M., Todorovic, N., Nedeljkovic, D., Kuzmanovic, J., Vranes, M., Stajer, V., & Ostojic, S. M. (2026). The Effects of 8-Week Creatine Hydrochloride and Creatine Ethyl Ester Supplementation on Cognition, Clinical Outcomes, and Brain Creatine Levels in Perimenopausal and Menopausal Women (CONCRET-MENOPA): A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of the American Nutrition Association, 45(3), 199–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/27697061.2025.2551184

Quality in Sport

Downloads

  • PDF

Published

2026-08-07

How to Cite

1.
MUSZALSKA, Aleksandra, WIECANOWSKA, Julia and ROCZYŃSKI, Brajan. Potential applications of creatine supplements in gynecology and women’s health: current evidence and future direction. Quality in Sport. Online. 7 August 2026. Vol. 67, p. 74072. [Accessed 9 August 2026]. DOI 10.12775/QS.2026.67.74072.
  • ISO 690
  • ACM
  • ACS
  • APA
  • ABNT
  • Chicago
  • Harvard
  • IEEE
  • MLA
  • Turabian
  • Vancouver
Download Citation
  • Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
  • BibTeX

Issue

Vol. 67 (2026)

Section

Medical Sciences

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Aleksandra Muszalska, Julia Wiecanowska, Brajan Roczyński

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Stats

Number of views and downloads: 40
Number of citations: 0

Search

Search

Browse

  • Browse Author Index
  • Issue archive

User

User

Current Issue

  • Atom logo
  • RSS2 logo
  • RSS1 logo

Information

  • For Readers
  • For Authors
  • For Librarians

Newsletter

Subscribe Unsubscribe

Tags

Search using one of provided tags:

creatine, Creatine brain, creatine supplementation, menopausal women, diet in pregnancy, Menstrual Cycle
Up

Akademicka Platforma Czasopism

Najlepsze czasopisma naukowe i akademickie w jednym miejscu

apcz.umk.pl

Partners

  • Akademia Ignatianum w Krakowie
  • Akademickie Towarzystwo Andragogiczne
  • Fundacja Copernicus na rzecz Rozwoju Badań Naukowych
  • Instytut Historii im. Tadeusza Manteuffla Polskiej Akademii Nauk
  • Instytut Kultur Śródziemnomorskich i Orientalnych PAN
  • Instytut Tomistyczny
  • Karmelitański Instytut Duchowości w Krakowie
  • Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego
  • Państwowa Akademia Nauk Stosowanych w Krośnie
  • Państwowa Akademia Nauk Stosowanych we Włocławku
  • Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Zawodowa im. Stanisława Pigonia w Krośnie
  • Polska Fundacja Przemysłu Kosmicznego
  • Polskie Towarzystwo Ekonomiczne
  • Polskie Towarzystwo Ludoznawcze
  • Towarzystwo Miłośników Torunia
  • Towarzystwo Naukowe w Toruniu
  • Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu
  • Uniwersytet Komisji Edukacji Narodowej w Krakowie
  • Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika
  • Uniwersytet w Białymstoku
  • Uniwersytet Warszawski
  • Wojewódzka Biblioteka Publiczna - Książnica Kopernikańska
  • Wyższe Seminarium Duchowne w Pelplinie / Wydawnictwo Diecezjalne „Bernardinum" w Pelplinie

© 2021- Nicolaus Copernicus University Accessibility statement Shop