Short answer
For muscle and strength, yes, if it comes with strength training. Meta-analyses of adults aged 57 to 70 show creatine plus resistance training adds about 1.4 kg more lean mass and more strength than training alone. For bone, no: the largest trial, 237 postmenopausal women over two years, found no effect on bone density. Women store less creatine than men, which is one reason researchers expect a response.
Muscle and strength
In Chilibeck’s 2017 meta-analysis of 22 trials with 721 adults aged 57 to 70, adding creatine to resistance training produced about 1.37 kg more lean mass and larger gains in chest-press and leg-press strength than training with placebo. A 2025 meta-analysis of eight trials found smaller but still positive effects on leg strength and lean mass. Without training, creatine adds little, so the exercise is the active ingredient and creatine is the amplifier.
Bone
This is where the hope outran the data. Chilibeck’s 2023 trial gave 237 postmenopausal women creatine or placebo alongside supervised exercise for two years. Bone mineral density at the hip and spine did not differ between groups. The creatine group preserved some measures of femoral-neck geometry and walked 80 metres slightly faster, but that is a smaller and more preliminary finding than the headline.
Why women may respond
A 2021 review in Nutrients reports that women have 70 to 80% lower creatine stores than men, and that research in women, especially after menopause, is thinner than in men. Memory studies show the clearest cognitive effects in older adults, and the 2025 hair-loss trial found no change in hormones or hair in men; in women the hair question hasn’t been tested directly. If you are on medicines that affect the kidneys or have kidney disease, ask your doctor first.
Related questions
How much did the trials in women use?
Most used 3 to 5 g a day, with some weight-based doses. That describes the research; your clinician can advise for you.
Does creatine cause weight gain?
Water retention in the first days is common and often reads as a kilogram or two on the scale. Longer studies didn’t find a lasting rise in total body water.
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Sources
Published 2026-09-30 · Last checked 2026-09-30
Educational content, not medical advice. Made for the United States.