Is Creatine Safe During Pregnancy?

Creatine is commonly associated with gym performance and muscle growth.

But in recent years, researchers, particularly in Australia, have been investigating a different question:

What role does creatine play during pregnancy?

Emerging research suggests creatine may be important for placental energy metabolism, fetal development and protection during labour. 

However, human supplementation research is still developing.

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound found in muscle and brain tissue. It supports energy production by maintaining cellular ATP, the body’s primary energy currency.

It is:

• Produced in small amounts by the body
• Found in red meat and fish
• Stored in tissues with high or fluctuating energy demands

Importantly, pregnancy is a state of increased metabolic demand, especially within the placenta and developing fetus.

Why Is Creatine Being Studied in Pregnancy?

During pregnancy:

• The placenta requires large amounts of energy.
• Labour places acute metabolic stress on placental tissue.
• The fetus relies on stable ATP supply to support growth and oxygen fluctuations.

Research shows that the placenta can synthesise creatine and creatine metabolism appears to shift during labour.

Creatine and Placental Energy During Labour

A 2023 Australian cohort study published in Placenta examined placental creatine concentrations in 182 low-risk pregnancies.

Key findings:

• Placental creatine metabolism changes during labour.
• Guanidinoacetate (GAA), a precursor to creatine, declined as labour duration increased.
• Placental creatine levels were influenced by maternal age, gestation, and fetal sex.
• Male placentae had 14% higher creatine concentrations than female.

These findings suggest creatine may function as an important energy substrate during labour, particularly during prolonged or stressful deliveries.

The researchers concluded that further studies should assess whether dietary creatine supplementation could support placental energy metabolism and reduce risks associated with fetal distress.

Importantly: this was observational research, not supplementation in pregnant women.

Could Creatine Support Fetal Protection?

A comprehensive 2014 review in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth explored experimental studies on maternal creatine supplementation.

Pre-clinical models suggest creatine may:

• Support intracellular ATP production
• Improve acid-base balance
• Reduce oxidative stress
• Stabilise cell membranes
• Protect against hypoxia-induced brain injury
• Improve post-ischemic recovery

In animal models, maternal creatine supplementation reduced markers of brain injury following oxygen deprivation at birth.

These findings are promising but they are primarily based on small animal studies, not large human trials.

Creatine Metabolism in Female Reproduction

A 2021 review in Nutrients highlighted that:

• Creatine metabolism is active in the female reproductive system.
• Perturbations in creatine pathways have been linked to poor pregnancy outcomes.
• The placenta and fetus both rely on creatine for energy buffering.
• Creatine may be particularly relevant in conditions involving hypoxia or oxidative stress.

However, the authors emphasised that there is still no consensus on whether creatine is essential for successful reproduction.

Do Pregnant Women Get Enough Creatine?

An analysis of NHANES dietary data found that approximately 57% of pregnant women consume creatine below estimated recommended adult intakes.

This has raised discussion around possible “creatine insufficiency” during pregnancy, particularly in women consuming low-meat or vegetarian diets.

Please note: dietary insufficiency does not automatically mean supplementation is required, especially during pregnancy.

Is Creatine Safe During Pregnancy?

Here’s where we need to be clear.

Creatine supplementation:

• Has strong safety data in healthy non-pregnant adults.
• Has not been associated with adverse outcomes in available pre-clinical pregnancy studies.
• Has not yet been extensively studied in large, controlled human pregnancy trials.

There are currently:

• No large-scale randomised controlled trials confirming safety in pregnant women.
• No widespread reports of harm.
• No formal clinical consensus recommending routine creatine supplementation during pregnancy.

This places creatine in a “promising but still emerging” category.

So Should You Take Creatine During Pregnancy?

At this stage:

• The science suggests creatine plays a physiologically important role in placental and fetal energy metabolism.
• Animal and mechanistic studies suggest protective potential.
• Human supplementation data in pregnancy is still limited.

If considering creatine during pregnancy:

• Always consult your obstetrician or health practitioner.
• Individual risk factors must be considered.
• More human clinical trials are needed before broad recommendations can be made.

Creatine Beyond Pregnancy

Outside of pregnancy, creatine is one of the most extensively researched and safest performance supplements available.

It supports:

• Muscle strength
• Cognitive performance (including the potentially helping with dementia, brain fog and ADHD)
• Cellular energy production
• Recovery

For non-pregnant adults seeking evidence-based creatine, a high-quality creatine monohydrate is the gold standard.

Final Thoughts

Creatine is no longer just a gym supplement.

It is increasingly recognised as a key molecule in cellular energy metabolism, including in pregnancy.

While early findings are promising, particularly in placental energy buffering and protection against hypoxiam clinical supplementation during pregnancy remains an area of active research.

As always, informed decisions should be made in partnership with qualified health professionals.

BUY CREATINE MONOHYDRATE AUSTRALIA

Disclaimer

This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your Health Practitioner before taking supplements during pregnancy.

About the Author

Grant Jenkins is the founder of Propel Health Australia and a high-performance coach & physiologist with over 25 years’ experience working with elite and developing athletes. He has formulated nutritional supplements used by athletes, families and health professionals across Australia. Grant combines real-world coaching experience with evidence-based research to bridge the gap between performance science and practical health.

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   Placenta. 2023;140.
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