Does creatine work for women too?

Short answer

It does. With strength training and 5 g a day, women also gained strength and muscle, and a 2026 analysis that directly compared the sexes found no difference in effect.

Does creatine work for women too?
'Creatine is a supplement for men' — is that true?
Creatine is for men, and women get little out of it. That is the common claim, and some analyses that pooled many studies seemed to agree. We checked it study by study.
In a trial of women only, the effect was big
Strength rose 20-25% more
19 women did strength training for 10 weeks while taking creatine (20 g a day for the first 4 days, then 5 g). Compared with a placebo, their strength rose 20-25% more. Their lean mass (muscle and everything except fat) rose 60% more.
But pooled analyses showed only men winning
Women's lean mass gain of 0.29 kg was no different
An analysis that pooled 35 studies with 1,192 people found men gained 1.46 kg more lean mass, while women gained 0.29 kg, no different from placebo. An analysis of 69 studies with 1,937 people also found extra squat and leg press strength only in men.
The reason: too few studies on women
447 men, 40 women
An analysis of 23 strength studies included 447 men and only 40 women (plus 9 in a mixed study). With so few people, a real effect easily shows up as 'no difference.' A 10-week trial in 26 women also found no difference.
Pooling women-only studies showed an effect
Comparing the sexes showed no difference
A 2026 analysis that pooled 34 studies with 692 women found creatine raised strength and power scores and lean mass measures, by a small but clear amount. Another 2026 analysis of 63 studies (970 men, 248 women) found clear gains in lower-body strength in women too, and no difference between the sexes.
The same held after menopause
With 5 g or more a day plus strength training
An analysis of 7 trials with 608 women after menopause found 0.37 kg more lean mass and 7.5 kg more on the leg press. The benefit came with 5 g or more a day plus strength training. Trials using 3 g or less a day without exercise showed none.
Bottom line: creatine works for women too
'A supplement for men' came from too few studies
Analyses that directly compared the sexes found no difference in effect, and women-only analyses also showed gains in strength and muscle. The approach that worked in studies was 5 g a day, taken steadily alongside strength training.