I wanted honest answers. So I started looking for them.

I’ve been moving my body for as long as I can remember. Yoga found me about ten years ago and never really left — it taught me that physical activity isn’t just about fitness, it’s about getting through the hard things. The tough seasons of life become more manageable when you have somewhere to put the energy.

For a long time, yoga was my anchor. But somewhere along the way I had a realisation: nothing was actually stopping me from trying everything else. No rule said I had to be one kind of athlete. So I started swimming. Then running. Then tennis. Then lifting. Each one a new question, a new way of understanding what my body could do.

That curiosity — trying things, observing what happens, wanting to understand why — is what eventually led me here.

As I trained more and across more disciplines, I started asking questions about supplements. Not because I wanted to chase performance gains or follow some rigid protocol, but because I genuinely wanted to know: what does the research actually say? What’s worth paying attention to? What’s just marketing?

What I found was frustrating.

Most supplement content is written for men, tested on men, and then quietly repackaged for women with a pink label and a smaller serving suggestion. The few resources that do address women often skim the surface — vague on dosing, silent on how the menstrual cycle affects everything from iron absorption to protein needs, and more interested in selling than in actually helping.

I wanted something better. So I built it.

What this site is

FemPerforms is a research-first supplement guide built specifically for women who train.

Every article here starts with a question I’d actually ask — and goes looking for a real answer. I use AI to help me dig through studies, synthesise conflicting evidence, and write more thoroughly than I ever could alone. Then I add my own perspective: what I’ve tried, what I’ve noticed, what the research actually means for someone who trains because they love it.

I’m not a nutritionist. I’m not a doctor. I don’t have letters after my name.

What I have is genuine curiosity, a low tolerance for hype, and a deep belief that women deserve accurate, specific, well-researched information about their own bodies.

And as this site grows, I don’t plan to keep it just my voice. I want to bring in other women — athletes, enthusiasts, researchers — to share their own stories and perspectives on female sport and performance. Because the more angles we have on this, the better the picture becomes.

Why female physiology matters — and why it’s mostly ignored

Women aren’t small men. Our hormones fluctuate across a monthly cycle. Our iron needs are higher. Our response to creatine, protein timing, and certain micronutrients differs from the studies most supplement advice is based on — studies conducted predominantly on male subjects.

This isn’t a niche concern. It’s half the population being underserved by an industry that has every incentive to sell and very little incentive to be precise.

FemPerforms exists to take female physiology seriously. Not to be alarmist, not to overcomplicate things — but to give you the actual picture, so you can make decisions that are right for your body.

A note on how I work

I use AI as a research tool — to surface studies, cross-reference evidence, and write with more depth than a solo creator typically could. Every article reflects my own judgment about what the research actually shows.

I also use affiliate links in some articles. When I recommend a product, it’s because I’ve evaluated it against the evidence — not because someone paid me to feature it. My Affiliate Disclosure has the full details.

And because this is health content: nothing on this site is medical advice. Please read my Disclaimer before making any decisions about your health or supplementation.

Say hello

If you have a question, a topic you’d like me to cover, or just want to share what’s working for you — I’d genuinely love to hear from you. Reach me at [email protected] or via the Contact page.

— Maria Malka, founder of FemPerforms