Perimenopause, Menopause and Why You’re Still Enough: The Collagen + Creatine Guide

Perimenopause, Menopause and Why You’re Still Enough: The Collagen + Creatine Guide

(Even when you’ve forgotten why you came downstairs. For the third time. Today.)

You’re standing in the kitchen. You came down here for something. You can feel the shape of it, just out of reach, like a word on the tip of your tongue. You open the fridge, as if the answer might be next to the hummus. It isn’t. You go back upstairs. Halfway up, you remember. You go back down.

If that’s you (and if you’re reading this, we suspect it might be), welcome. You’re in very good company. Today is World Menopause Day, and this year the International Menopause Society has chosen a theme that will make a lot of women nod knowingly: chronic pain in midlife. The achy knees. The stiff shoulders. The hips that now announce themselves when you get out of the car.

So let’s talk about what’s really going on inside your body during perimenopause and menopause, why collagen and bone take such a hit, and how two of the best-researched supplements in women’s health, collagen and creatine, can help you through it. With science, a few laughs, and one reminder we’ll keep coming back to: you are enough. Even on the days it doesn’t feel like it.

First things first: perimenopause vs menopause

They get used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing.

• Perimenopause is the transition: the years when your hormones start to fluctuate and then decline. For most women it begins in their 40s and can last anywhere from a few years to a decade. It’s often when symptoms are at their most unpredictable.

• Menopause is technically a single day: the point at which you’ve gone 12 months without a period. In the UK, the average age is 51.

• Postmenopause is everything after that, which for most of us is a third of our lives. That’s a long time, and it’s worth investing in.

Hot flushes and night sweats get most of the airtime. But some of the biggest changes are the ones you can’t see: what’s happening to your collagen, your muscles and your bones.

Oestrogen: the colleague who did everything (and you only noticed when she left)

You know that colleague who quietly kept the whole office running? Watered the plants, refilled the printer, remembered everyone’s birthday? And it was only when she retired that everyone realised how much she’d been doing?

That’s oestrogen.

Oestrogen isn’t just a reproductive hormone. It has receptors throughout your body, in your skin, bones, muscles, joints and brain. It encourages the cells that make collagen, it slows down the cells that break bone down, it helps keep inflammation in check and it supports how your brain uses energy. When it declines, all of those processes lose their biggest supporter at once. Here’s what the research tells us:

Collagen has been gently declining since our mid-twenties. What menopause does is press the fast-forward button. Which is why the knees that never used to complain suddenly sound like bubble wrap, why skin feels thinner and drier almost overnight, and why your favourite jeans (and your memory) seem to have quietly changed their minds.

You are not falling apart. You are recalibrating. And you deserve support while you do it.

Let’s talk about bones (the silent one)

Bone loss doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t give you a hot flush to warn you. Most women don’t find out they have weaker bones until one breaks, often from something as ordinary as a trip on the pavement or lifting a heavy bag. The Royal Osteoporosis Society calls osteoporosis the “silent condition” for exactly that reason.

Here’s the bit that surprises most people: bone isn’t chalk. Around 90% of its protein framework is collagen. Think of your bones like reinforced concrete. The minerals (calcium, mostly) are the concrete. Collagen is the steel mesh running through it that gives it flexibility and strength. Brittle bones aren’t just low on minerals; they’re often low on that framework too.

That’s why supporting your bones through menopause is about more than a calcium tablet. It’s a team effort:

• Vitamin D. In the UK, the Government advises everyone to consider 10µg a day from October to March, when there isn’t enough sunlight for our skin to make it. (Hello, October.) Vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal bones and muscle function.

• Calcium, mostly from food: dairy, fortified plant milks, tinned fish with bones, tofu and leafy greens.

• Protein, including collagen, to keep the framework strong.

• Magnesium, which contributes to the maintenance of normal bones, and which many women in the UK don’t get enough of.

• Muscle. Strong muscles pull on bones, and that pulling is the signal that tells bones to stay strong. Which is where creatine comes in.

• A conversation with your GP about HRT, your fracture risk and whether a bone-density (DXA) scan makes sense for you. The Royal Osteoporosis Society also has a free three-minute online risk checker.

How collagen helps you through perimenopause and menopause

Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body, the scaffolding that holds your skin, joints, tendons, ligaments and bones together. When oestrogen falls and your own production slows right down, a daily dose of hydrolysed collagen peptides gives your body the specific building blocks it uses to make its own. Here’s what that means for you:

The benefits of collagen through the menopause transition

• Stronger bones. In a 12-month randomised controlled trial, postmenopausal women with low bone density who took 5g of collagen peptides daily saw their bone mineral density increase at the spine and hip compared with placebo, along with a shift in bone markers towards more bone building and less breakdown. enough. Collagen gives you 10g a day, plus Vitamin D, which contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

• Happier joints. Collagen is a key component of cartilage, the cushioning in your joints. Studies of collagen peptides in active adults have found reduced activity-related joint discomfort. Very fitting, given this year’s World Menopause Day focus on midlife pain.

• Firmer, more hydrated skin. Multiple clinical studies have linked daily collagen peptides with improvements in skin hydration and elasticity. In our own 30-day trial with 50 women, 78% reported improved skin radiance and glow.

• Stronger hair and nails. Collagen provides the amino acids your body uses to build keratin, and many women notice less breakage and stronger nails within a couple of months.

• Collagen that actually gets used. We’ve added Vitamin C because it contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of bones, cartilage, skin and blood vessels. In other words, it helps your body put the building blocks to work.

• Support for mood, immunity and energy. Vitamin D contributes to the normal function of the immune system, and Vitamin C contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Both feel quite relevant at 3am when you’re wide awake and wondering if you replied to that email.

• Zero faff. Swiss bovine, grass-fed, pasture-raised and completely unflavoured. One 10g scoop dissolves into hot or cold drinks without splitting your coffee.

Want the full story on why Vitamin C and D matter so much? Read our piece on the Vitamin C + D power pair.

Creatine: the menopause supplement nobody told you about

We’ve written before about why we made a creatine just for women. But menopause is where creatine really earns its place, and the science is moving fast.

Creatine helps your cells recycle ATP, your body’s energy currency. Most of it lives in your muscles, but your brain uses it too. Women start with 70–80% lower stores than men, and researchers now believe the hormonal changes of menopause affect how our bodies make and use creatine. One leading researcher put it neatly in a 2025 review: there’s plenty of data on creatine after menopause, but it’s the transition itself, when sleep, bones, muscles, joints, energy and brain fog all start to wobble, where women need it most.

The benefits of creatine through the menopause transition

• Muscle strength you can feel. From our 30s, we lose muscle gradually, and that loss accelerates with menopause. Daily creatine consumption can enhance the effect of resistance training on muscle strength in adults over the age of 55 (at least 3g a day, with regular resistance training). That’s an officially authorised health claim, which is a big deal in the supplement world.

• Stronger bone structure, through stronger muscles. We’ll be honest with you, because that’s who we are: creatine on its own doesn’t build bone density. But in a two-year trial of 237 postmenopausal women doing strength training and walking, those taking creatine better preserved the structural strength of their hip bone (how well it resists bending and buckling) and gained more lean muscle than those on placebo. Muscle protects bone, and creatine helps protect muscle.

• A clearer head. Your brain uses around a fifth of your body’s energy. Research suggests creatine supports memory and processing speed, particularly under stress or poor sleep (sound familiar?). An early trial in peri- and postmenopausal women found improved reaction times and higher brain creatine levels. Promising, not a miracle, but a very good reason to keep watching this space.

• Mood support. Some of the most interesting creatine research is in mood, and women appear to respond particularly well, possibly because our brain creatine levels tend to be lower to begin with.

• Less “empty tank”, more get-up-and-go. enough. Creatine is paired with magnesium glycinate, a gentle, well-absorbed form of magnesium. Magnesium contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, normal muscle function, normal psychological function and the maintenance of normal bones.

• No bulk, no loading, no fuss. Half a scoop (5.5g) a day, every day. It’s unflavoured, so it vanishes into water, coffee, yoghurt or oats.

New to creatine? Our guide, Creatine for Women: The Supplement Nobody Made For Us, covers the basics.

READ HERE

Not just for the gym. For the stairs, the shopping bags, the grandchildren, and the 47 open tabs in your brain.

Better together: why we call it the Daily Stack

If your body were a house going through a renovation (and during menopause, it can certainly feel like the builders are in), collagen would be the structure: the beams, the walls, the reinforcement. Creatine would be the electricity: the power that keeps the lights on in your muscles and your brain. And Vitamins C, D and magnesium? They’re the site managers making sure everything actually gets done.

You can have one without the other. But together they cover the four areas that change most in midlife: skin and hair, joints and bones, muscle strength, and mental clarity. Two scoops, one drink, about ten seconds of your morning. Which, we appreciate, is ten seconds you’d otherwise spend looking for your glasses. (They’re on your head.)

Supplements work best on a strong foundation

We’d love to tell you a scoop of anything fixes menopause. It doesn’t. We’re honest like that. What supplements do brilliantly is fill gaps and support the things you’re already doing. So alongside your Daily Stack:

• Lift something heavy-ish, two or three times a week. Weights, resistance bands, Pilates, carrying the shopping up the stairs on purpose. It’s the single best thing you can do for muscle and bone.

• Eat protein at every meal. Your muscles get less responsive to protein as you age, so aim to spread it across the day.

• Get outside, move every day, and take Vitamin D through the darker months.

• Protect your sleep as fiercely as you protect your diary.

• Talk to your GP about your symptoms and whether HRT is right for you. You don’t have to just put up with it.

And finally: you are enough

Menopause can make you feel like a stranger in your own body. Like you’ve lost your keys, your train of thought and, some days, a little bit of yourself. Please hear this: none of that changes what you’re worth.

You are not “past it”. You’re not fading. You’re entering a stage of life that can be one of the strongest, wisest and most unapologetic of all. Looking after your body now isn’t about chasing your 25-year-old self. It’s about making sure the woman you’ll be at 70, 80 and beyond is strong, steady and still dancing in the kitchen.

So the next time you’re standing at the bottom of the stairs wondering what on earth you came down for, smile. Your brain is busy. Your body is adapting. And you, exactly as you are, are enough.

Frequently asked questions

Does collagen help with menopause symptoms?

Collagen won’t switch off a hot flush, but it can support the parts of you that oestrogen used to look after. Skin can lose around 30% of its collagen in the first five years after menopause, and research on hydrolysed collagen peptides shows benefits for skin hydration and elasticity, joint comfort in active adults and, in one 12-month trial in postmenopausal women, bone mineral density. enough. Collagen also contains Vitamin C, which contributes to normal collagen formation, and Vitamin D, which contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

Is creatine safe during perimenopause and menopause?

Creatine monohydrate is one of the most studied supplements in the world, and reviews of research in women have found no adverse effects on kidney, liver, digestive or heart health at standard doses. If you have a kidney condition or take prescribed medication, have a quick chat with your GP or pharmacist first.

Does creatine help with menopause brain fog?

It’s one of the most exciting areas of research. Your brain runs on the same energy system creatine supports, women have lower natural creatine stores than men, and early studies in peri- and postmenopausal women have shown improvements in reaction time and brain creatine levels. It’s promising rather than proven, so we’d never call creatine a cure for brain fog, but it’s a smart, low-risk addition alongside sleep, movement and good nutrition.

What are the best supplements for bone health during menopause?

Vitamin D (the UK Government advises everyone considers 10µg a day from October to March), calcium from food, enough protein, and magnesium are the foundations. Collagen peptides have the strongest supplement-specific bone research of our two products. Creatine works best alongside strength training, where it supports muscle and, in a two-year trial, helped preserve the structural strength of the hip bone. Nothing replaces resistance exercise or a conversation with your GP about HRT and bone-density checks.

Can I take collagen and creatine together?

Yes, and we’d encourage it. They do different jobs: collagen supports structure (skin, joints, bones), creatine supports energy (muscles and brain). Both are unflavoured, so one scoop of each in your morning coffee or smoothie is all it takes. We call it the Daily Stack.

Can I take collagen and creatine if I’m on HRT?

There are no known interactions between collagen or creatine and HRT, and many women use them together as part of a wider plan. As with any supplement, check with your GP or pharmacist if you’re taking prescribed medication.

Will creatine make me put on weight or look bulky?

No bulk, promise. Creatine draws a little water into your muscle cells (that’s part of how it works), so the scales may nudge up by 0.5–1kg in the first couple of weeks. That’s hydrated muscle, not fat, and it settles.

When should I start taking collagen and creatine?

The best time is before the steepest losses, which means perimenopause, often from your early to mid-40s. But there’s no such thing as too late: muscle and bone respond to the right inputs at any age.

The science behind this article

1. Brincat MP et al. Skin collagen changes in postmenopausal women; see Calleja-Agius J, Muscat-Baron Y, Brincat MP. Skin ageing. Menopause International, 2007.

2. König D et al. Specific collagen peptides improve bone mineral density and bone markers in postmenopausal women: a randomised controlled study. Nutrients, 2018.

3. Wright VJ et al. The musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause. Climacteric, 2024.

4. Chilibeck PD et al. A 2-yr randomized controlled trial on creatine supplementation during exercise for postmenopausal bone health. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2023.

5. Smith-Ryan AE et al. Creatine supplementation in women’s health: a lifespan perspective. Nutrients, 2021.

6. Creatine in women’s health: bridging the gap from menstruation through pregnancy to menopause. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2025.

7. Royal Osteoporosis Society, theros.org.uk.

8. International Menopause Society, World Menopause Day 2026: Chronic Pain in Midlife.

9. GB Nutrition and Health Claims Register: authorised claims for creatine, Vitamin C, Vitamin D and magnesium.

This article is for information only and isn’t a substitute for medical advice. Food supplements should not replace a varied, balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, please speak to your GP or pharmacist before taking a new supplement.