Randomised trial, 2026
Does creatine supplementation help with exercise and mood during the menstrual cycle?
The review suggests creatine may help reduce fatigue during the luteal phase and potentially improve mood during the premenstrual phase, but dedicated randomized controlled trials are still needed to confirm this.
What they did
Narrative literature review searching PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Data from meta-analyses, systematic reviews, observational studies, and RCTs on creatine and female physiology were synthesized.
What they found
Women have lower endogenous creatine stores and different creatine kinetics than men. The luteal phase is associated with increased protein breakdown, reduced exercise tolerance, and impaired recovery. Creatine supplementation reduced the fatigue index during the luteal phase and shows potential for mood improvement during the premenstrual phase.
What it means for you
This is a review of existing studies, not a new clinical trial, so the evidence is preliminary. The luteal phase may be when women's bodies benefit most from creatine. Proper randomized controlled trials specifically testing creatine in women during the luteal phase are still needed.
lower
endogenous creatine stores in women than men
luteal phase
when fatigue index was reduced
About the study
- Original title
- Differences in Response to Creatine Supplementation in Women Depending on the Menstrual Cycle Phase: A Narrative Review
- Authors
- Wiktoria Myślicka, Valery Veyeunik, Agata Chrobak et al.
- Journal
- Quality in Sport
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- What was tested
- Creatine supplementation timing relative to menstrual cycle phase
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.12775/qs.2026.62.73295
Topics
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