Can a breastfeeding drug mend broken hearts after childbirth?

NCT ID NCT05180773

Recruiting now Disease control Sponsor: Dennis M. McNamara, MD, MS Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Aug 11, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study tests whether bromocriptine, a drug that stops breastfeeding, can improve heart function in women newly diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy (a type of heart failure after childbirth). 200 women will receive either bromocriptine or a placebo, plus standard heart failure care, for 8 weeks. Another 50 women who want to breastfeed will be observed without the drug. The main goal is to see if heart pumping ability improves at 6 months.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Bromocriptine (a drug that blocks prolactin, often used to stop breastfeeding)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could offer a new treatment to help women with peripartum cardiomyopathy recover heart function and avoid heart failure, transplant, or a heart pump.
What could go wrong: This is a phase 4 trial, but the drug is already approved for other uses. It may not improve heart recovery, and it stops breastfeeding, which limits its use. Anticoagulation is needed to reduce clot risk.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

peripartum cardiomyopathy

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

PERIPARTUM CARDIOMYOPATHY, POSTPARTUM

Contacts and locations

Locations

Albert Einstein College of Medicine/ Montefiore Medical Center
RECRUITING

The Bronx, New York, 10461, United States
Ascension St. Vincent Heart Center
RECRUITING

Indianapolis, Indiana, 46260, United States
Atrium Health Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute
RECRUITING

Charlotte, North Carolina, 28204, United States
Baylor College of Medicine
RECRUITING

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States
Brigham and Women's Hospital
RECRUITING

Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
RECRUITING

Los Angeles, California, 90048, United States
Cleveland Clinic
RECRUITING

Cleveland, Ohio, 44195, United States
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
RECRUITING

New York, New York, 10032, United States
Emory University
RECRUITING

Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States
Hartford Hospital
RECRUITING

Hartford, Connecticut, 06106, United States
Henry Ford Health System
RECRUITING

Detroit, Michigan, 48202, United States
Indiana University/Indiana University Health
RECRUITING

Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202, United States
Inova Healthcare Services
RECRUITING

Fairfax, Virginia, 22031, United States
Intermountain Medical Center
RECRUITING

Murray, Utah, 84107, United States
Johns Hopkins University
RECRUITING

Baltimore, Maryland, 21287, United States
Karen L Florio, MD
RECRUITING

Columbia, Missouri, 65201, United States
Keck School of Medicine of USC
RECRUITING

Los Angeles, California, 90033, United States
Lehigh Valley Health Network
WITHDRAWN

Allentown, Pennsylvania, 18105, United States
Louisiana State University
RECRUITING

Shreveport, Louisiana, 71103, United States
Massachusetts General Hospital
RECRUITING

Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States
Mayo Clinic, Florida
RECRUITING

Jacksonville, Florida, 32216, United States
Mayo Clinic, Rochester
RECRUITING

Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States
Medical College of Wisconsin
RECRUITING

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, United States
Medical University of South Carolina
RECRUITING

Charleston, South Carolina, 29425, United States
Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation
RECRUITING

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55407, United States
Mount Sinai Hospital
RECRUITING

New York, New York, 10029, United States
NYU Langone Health
RECRUITING

New York, New York, 10022, United States
Northwestern University
RECRUITING

Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
Oklahoma university Health Science Center
RECRUITING

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73104, United States
Old Dominion University
RECRUITING

Norfolk, Virginia, 23507, United States
Penn State Hershey Medical Center
RECRUITING

Hershey, Pennsylvania, 17033, United States
Rhode Island Hospital
RECRUITING

Providence, Rhode Island, 02903, United States
Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City
RECRUITING

Kansas City, Missouri, 64154, United States
Stanford University
RECRUITING

Stanford, California, 94305, United States
Stern Cardiovascular Foundation, Inc
RECRUITING

Germantown, Tennessee, 38138, United States
Stony Brook Medicine
RECRUITING

Stony Brook, New York, 11794, United States
Temple Heart and Vascular Institute
RECRUITING

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140, United States
UT Southern Medical Center
WITHDRAWN

Dallas, Texas, 75390-8830, United States
University Hospitals, Cleveland Medical Center
RECRUITING

Cleveland, Ohio, 44106, United States
University of Alabama Birmingham
RECRUITING

Birmingham, Alabama, 35205, United States
University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center
RECRUITING

Tucson, Arizona, 85724, United States
University of California Irvine Health
RECRUITING

Orange, California, 92868, United States
University of California San Diego
RECRUITING

La Jolla, California, 92037-7411, United States
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
RECRUITING

Aurora, Colorado, 80045, United States
University of Florida
RECRUITING

Gainesville, Florida, 32608, United States
University of Illinois Health Heart Center
RECRUITING

Chicago, Illinois, 60612, United States
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinic
RECRUITING

Iowa City, Iowa, 52242, United States
University of Kentucky, Gill Heart & Vascular Institute
RECRUITING

Lexington, Kentucky, 40536, United States
University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore
RECRUITING

Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, United States
University of Michigan
RECRUITING

Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States
University of Minnesota
RECRUITING

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, United States
University of Pennsylvania
RECRUITING

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
RECRUITING

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15237, United States
University of Rochester
RECRUITING

Rochester, New York, 14642, United States
University of South Florida
RECRUITING

Tampa, Florida, 33606, United States
University of Texas Health San Antonio
WITHDRAWN

San Antonio, Texas, 78229, United States
University of Vermont Medical Center
RECRUITING

Burlington, Vermont, 05401, United States
University of Virginia
RECRUITING

Charlottesville, Virginia, 22908, United States
University of Washington Medical Center
RECRUITING

Seattle, Washington, 98195, United States
University of Wisconsin Madison
RECRUITING

Madison, Wisconsin, 53792, United States
Vanderbilt
RECRUITING

Nashville, Tennessee, 37232, United States
Virginia Commonwealth University
RECRUITING

Richmond, Virginia, 23298, United States
Washington University School of Medicine
RECRUITING

St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
Yale University
RECRUITING

New Haven, Connecticut, 06520, United States