If you’re a woman in your 40s or 50s and you’ve noticed your workouts feel harder, your recovery feels slower, or your mental clarity is slipping, you’re not alone, and you’re not imagining it. Perimenopause brings real physiological changes, from shifting hormones to natural muscle loss to changes in brain energy. Yet very few women are given simple, science-backed tools to support their strength, cognition and overall vitality during this period.
One of the most effective (and underused) tools is Creatine monohydrate. Despite being one of the most researched supplements in the world, many women still think creatine is “just for gym bros” or bodybuilders. In reality, creatine is a foundational nutrient for cellular energy, and it has profound benefits for muscle strength, recovery and cognitive performance, all of which are deeply impacted during perimenopause and menopause.
This is why creatine may be the most important supplement women over 40 aren’t taking - and why now is the time to change that.
To understand why creatine becomes so valuable in midlife, we need to look at two key factors: declining muscle mass and shifting brain energy metabolism.
1. Muscle loss accelerates after age 35
From our mid-30s onward, women naturally lose 3–8% of muscle per decade - a process known as sarcopenia.[1] Declining oestrogen in perimenopause speeds this up. Muscle isn’t only about strength; it affects metabolism, bone density, glucose regulation, and long-term mobility.
When muscle mass decreases, everyday tasks feel harder. Workouts feel heavier. Recovery is slower. This is where creatine becomes essential: by increasing phosphocreatine stores in muscle, creatine helps regenerate ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the molecule that powers every contraction, lift and movement your body performs.
2. Brain fog and cognitive changes become more common
Creatine isn’t only stored in muscles, it’s stored in the brain. The brain uses around 20% of your daily energy, and during perimenopause, energy metabolism in the brain becomes less efficient.[2] This is why many women describe struggles like:
Creatine supports brain energy production by increasing phosphocreatine availability, which enhances ATP regeneration. This supports clearer thinking, faster processing and greater cognitive resilience, especially during hormonal fluctuations.
Creatine is one of the most well-studied supplements, with decades of clinical data behind it. For midlife women, research shows benefits across several key areas:
1. Strength and Performance
Creatine increases strength, power and training capacity, allowing you to lift more, train harder and build lean muscle more effectively.[3] This is crucial in women over 40 when resistance training is non-negotiable for long-term health.
2. Faster Recovery
Studies show creatine reduces exercise-induced fatigue and helps muscles recover faster after training.[4]
3. Mental Clarity & Cognitive Performance
A 2024 meta-analysis found that creatine supplementation supports memory, attention and processing speed, especially during fatigue or stress.[5]
4. Mood Support
Emerging research shows creatine supplementation may support emotional regulation and resilience during hormonal shifts by stabilising cellular energy in the brain.[6]
5. Healthy Ageing
Creatine supports muscle, bone, brain and metabolic health, making it a powerful longevity tool for women in their 40s, 50s and beyond.
Women typically have lower baseline creatine stores than men, and levels are even lower in plant-focused eaters (since dietary creatine mainly comes from animal foods).[7]
Add hormonal shifts on top, and creatine becomes even more impactful.
This is one reason women often feel the difference of creatine supplementation faster.
The ideal dose for women over 40 is 3-5g of creatine monohydrate daily. No loading phase. No cycling. Just simple consistency.
100% Creatine monohydrate, like we have in Fuel, is the most researched, most effective, and safest form available.
Perimenopause doesn’t have to mean less strength, less clarity or less energy. But it does require giving your body and brain the support they need to thrive through hormonal change.
Creatine is one of the simplest, safest and most scientifically supported ways to do exactly that.
For women over 40, creatine isn’t a “nice-to-have.” It’s a foundational tool for strength, clarity and long-term vitality.
