New mom OCD? brain zaps may offer relief in just 10 days
NCT ID NCT07571187
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This small study will test whether a type of brain stimulation called TMS can help new mothers with obsessive-compulsive disorder that started or worsened after childbirth. Fifteen women will receive 50 sessions over 10 days, along with brain scans and symptom checks. The goal is to see if the treatment is tolerable and whether it reduces OCD symptoms.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-drug treatment for postpartum OCD that is quick and well-tolerated.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early feasibility study with only 15 people. It is not designed to prove effectiveness, and results may not apply to all women with postpartum OCD.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 15 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Apr 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 45 years
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age 18-45 2. Diagnosis of OCD defined by DSM-V criteria with problematic symptoms in the 12 months following childbirth 3. YBOCS ≥16 4. Either currently taking OCD medications at a stable dose for 8 weeks or unmedicated 5. Concurrent psychotherapy (exposure and response prevention therapy) will be allowed if it was initiated 8 weeks or more before study entry and continues regularly throughout the trial 6. Ability to read, write and understand English sufficiently well to complete study procedures and provide informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Past history of a primary psychotic or bipolar disorder 2. Current acute suicidality or significantly elevated risk of suicide as determined by the investigators 3. Personal history of moderate traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, or other clinically significant neurological illness except tic disorders 4. A history of pre-eclampsia during the most recent pregnancy if the patient is less than 8 weeks postpartum 5. Current, moderate to severe alcohol or illicit substance use disorder in the last 3 months, determined by clinical assessment 6. Women who are currently pregnant. All participants will be asked to use a reasonable birth control method throughout the study period (barrier, oral contraceptives, etc.). We will not administer pregnancy tests. 7. current psychotic symptoms 8. A current seizure disorder 9. active severe major depressive episode as indicated on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (greater than or equal to 19).
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.