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Kidney

Creatinine in women: normal values by age and what an abnormal value means

During the work of the muscles, creatine is broken down into creatinine, a waste product that the kidneys remove from the blood and pass into the urine, according to the NVKC. How much creatinine the body makes depends on body height and muscle mass, and so women usually have a lower value than men, according to the NVKC.

A value that is too high can point to a problem with the kidneys or their blood flow, according to the NVKC, and a low value is usually no reason for concern. Only a blood test shows whether your creatinine is abnormal.

For women aged 19 to 50, Star-SHL gives 46 to 91 µmol/l and Unilabs 48 to 91 µmol/l.

Doctor's Assessment Included

Creatinine is a waste product from the muscles that the kidneys filter out of the blood and pass into the urine. For adults up to 50, the upper limit at the four laboratories is 90 or 91 µmol/l for women and between 104 and 113 µmol/l for men.

  • Creatinine depends on muscle mass, so men usually have higher values than women and children.
  • The eGFR, an estimate of how well the kidneys filter, is calculated from creatinine, age and sex; according to the UK NICE guideline, an eGFR below 60 in an adult not tested before is repeated within 2 weeks.
  • The UK NICE guideline advises eating no meat in the 12 hours before a creatinine test.

Reference Ranges

See the value that applies to you:

Choose male or female — this range differs by sex.

Enter your age — this range changes with age.

This range also depends on context such as cycle phase or sample material; the highlighted rows apply to your group.

Your reference range
umol/l
38 132 umol/l
Reference ranges by group, in umol/l
Female · 6–12 years 38–65 umol/l
38 65
Female · 13–18 years 46–83 umol/l
46 83
Female · 19–50 years 48–91 umol/l
48 91
Female · 51–65 years 48–99 umol/l
48 99
Female · 66–80 years 48–113 umol/l
48 113
Female · 81 years and older 49–132 umol/l
49 132
38 132 umol/l

Source: NVKC Reference population: Dutch general-practice population (NUMBER, n = 7,574,327)

Reference ranges may vary between laboratories. When you order a test, a BIG-registered doctor assesses your personal results in context. For treatment decisions, discuss your results with your GP.

Check your own value

Creatinine: what Dutch laboratories use

Reference ranges by group, in umol/l
Star-shl · Female · 19–50 years 46–91 µmol/l
46 91
Star-shl · Female · 51–65 years 48–99 µmol/l
48 99
Star-shl · Female · 66–80 years 48–113 µmol/l
48 113
Star-shl · Female · 81 years and older 49–132 µmol/l
49 132
Unilabs · Female · 19–50 years 48–91 µmol/l
48 91
Unilabs · Female · 51–65 years 48–99 µmol/l
48 99
Unilabs · Female · 66–80 years 48–113 µmol/l
48 113
Unilabs · Female · 81 years and older 49–132 µmol/l
49 132
Certe · Female · 18 years and older 50–90 umol/L
50 90
Diagnostiek voor U · Female · 17 years and older 49–90 µmol/L
49 90
0 145.2 umol/l

Source: Star-shl

Source: Unilabs

Source: Certe

Source: Diagnostiek voor U

Each value as the laboratory itself publishes it, retrieved in 2026.

Creatinine: what this test measures

The creatinine test measures creatinine in the blood in micromoles per litre (µmol/l), and the laboratories give separate values for women and men. In women, the upper limit at Star-SHL and Unilabs rises with age: 99 µmol/l from 51 to 65, 113 µmol/l from 66 to 80 and 132 µmol/l above 80.

Creatinine: why this value matters

According to the NVKC, creatinine is one of the three items from which the eGFR is calculated, an estimate of kidney filtering, besides age and sex.

Creatinine: how the blood test works

Referral
No GP referral needed. After the order we arrange the referral through ZorgDomein, within one business day; orders after 17:00 or at the weekend start on the next business day. ZorgDomein emails a barcode, and that barcode is what the draw site needs.
The draw
A blood draw from a vein in the arm, at a partner laboratory's draw site. No home kit, no finger prick.
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Where
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Creatinine: how to prepare

  1. Better no hard training beforehand

    Recommended

    Hard exercise in the 48 hours before can raise this value temporarily. Plan the draw on a rest day if you can.

  • Water is always fine. Drink as usual beforehand, it makes the draw easier.
  • Take your usual medication, unless your own doctor told you otherwise.

Creatinine: when is testing worthwhile?

According to the NVKC, creatinine is also requested before some procedures, such as a CT scan, in which substances are given that can damage the kidneys. In addition, the creatinine test gives insight into how the kidneys work, according to the NVKC, also in healthy people during a medical or check-up.

Creatinine: symptoms of a high or low value

Low Levels

According to the NVKC, a low creatinine can occur with less muscle mass, such as with being bedridden or old age, and is usually no reason for concern.

High Levels

According to Thuisarts, tiredness, headache, sleeping badly or a lot, and itching are symptoms that can arise with serious kidney damage, one of the possible causes of a high creatinine. According to the NVKC, creatinine can also rise through a kidney infection, damage to kidney cells from a harmful substance or a medicine, an autoimmune disease or blocked urine flow, such as from kidney stones, and through less blood flow to the kidneys with dehydration, heart failure or shock.

Creatinine: causes of a low or high value

What lowers the value

  • Low muscle mass

    With less muscle mass, such as with long bed rest, after an amputation or at an old age, creatinine falls; a low value is usually no reason for concern.

  • Pregnancy

    During pregnancy, creatinine can be slightly lower.

What raises the value

  • Kidneys that work less well

    A kidney infection, damage to the kidneys from a toxic substance or a medicine, an autoimmune disease, or blocked urine flow from prostate disease or kidney stones can raise creatinine.

  • Less blood to the kidneys

    Dehydration, heart failure or shock reduce blood flow to the kidneys, and that can raise creatinine.

  • Much muscle mass or muscle damage

    How much creatinine the body makes depends on height and muscle mass, and muscle damage, for example from an accident, raises creatinine temporarily.

  • Meat, creatine or testosterone

    Creatine supplements, a lot of meat and testosterone can raise creatinine without the kidneys working worse; in one trial in healthy adult men, creatinine rose by 52 percent within 1.5 to 3.5 hours after 225 grams of cooked meat, and the rise lasted up to 24 hours.

  • The antibiotic trimethoprim

    Trimethoprim blocks the kidneys' secretion of creatinine, so that creatinine rises while kidney filtering stays the same.

Creatinine: lifestyle and this value

With an abnormal creatinine, your GP is the first point of contact. According to Thuisarts, medicines such as diclofenac, ibuprofen or naproxen can sometimes cause kidney damage, as can an inflammation of the kidney filters or a kidney disease such as cystic kidneys.

Creatinine: frequently asked questions

Is creatinine lower during pregnancy?

According to the NVKC, creatinine can be somewhat lower during pregnancy: a slight decrease in the amount of creatinine in the blood can then occur.

Does the normal value of creatinine differ per laboratory?

Yes, the normal value of creatinine differs per laboratory: Certe gives 50 to 90 µmol/l for women above 18 and Diagnostiek voor U 49 to 90 µmol/l for women above 16, while Star-SHL and Unilabs give their own value per age group.

Why do women have a lower creatinine than men?

According to the NVKC, women usually have a lower creatinine than men, because the production of creatinine depends on body height and muscle mass.

Creatinine: sources

  1. den Elzen WPJ, Brouwer N, Thelen MH, Le Cessie S, Haagen I-A, Cobbaert CM. NUMBER: standardized reference intervals in the Netherlands using a 'big data' approach. Clin Chem Lab Med 2018;57(1):42-56. (retrieved 2026) doi.org
  2. Star-shl, Labbepalingen (referentiewaarden per bepaling), star-shl.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) star-shl.nl
  3. Unilabs, Bepalingenklapper (referentiewaarden per bepaling), bepalingenklapper.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) bepalingenklapper.nl
  4. Certe, Bepalingenwijzer (referentiewaarden per bepaling), bepalingenwijzer.certe.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) bepalingenwijzer.certe.nl
  5. Diagnostiek voor U, eLabgids (Referentiewaarden DvU), diagnostiek.getincontrol.eu, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) diagnostiek.getincontrol.eu
  6. NVKC, Alles over testen: Kreatinine, allesovertesten.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-12 (retrieved 2026) allesovertesten.nl
  7. Jiang R, et al. Overview of pseudo-acute kidney injury. Ren Fail 2026;48(1):2650028. (retrieved 2026) pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  8. Delanaye P, et al. Trimethoprim, creatinine and creatinine-based equations. Nephron Clin Pract 2011;119(3):c187-193. (retrieved 2026) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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