Could the 'Love Hormone' ease surgery pain and cut opioid use?
NCT ID NCT06483659
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 14, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether giving oxytocin (the 'love hormone') through an IV during surgery can reduce pain and the need for opioid painkillers after a minimally invasive hysterectomy. Researchers will compare oxytocin to a placebo in 152 adults aged 18-65. The goal is to find a safer way to manage post-operative pain.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Oxytocin (Pitocin)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new way to manage post-surgery pain and reduce reliance on opioids.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early phase 2 trial with only 152 participants, so results may not apply broadly. Oxytocin may not outperform placebo for pain relief.
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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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 152 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2025
- 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 65 years
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * Ages 18-65 years old * ASA category 1-3 * Scheduled to undergo minimally invasive hysterectomy * No documented allergy to oxytocin Exclusion Criteria: * American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) group 4 or greater * Age \>65 years old * Additional surgical procedures including but not limited to minor laparotomy, omentectomy, cystectomy, vaginectomy, and/or ablation of endometriosis. * Active opioid prescription of the equivalent of oxycodone \>10 mg /day * Opioid use disorder, including patients in treatment receiving naltrexone or Suboxone (Buprenorphine-naloxone) * Allergies to any study medication: acetaminophen, celecoxib, ketorolac, fentanyl, hydromorphone, or oxycodone. * Epidural/Regional anesthesia for intra-operative or post-operative pain. * Inability to understand the questionnaires * Intra-operative and post-operative exclusion: Procedure converted to open or extension of primary surgery, Intra-operative EBL \>500 ml., Placement of epidural catheter or regional anesthesia at PACU for pain management, Hospitalization of the patient due to surgical or anesthetic complications
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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 places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Brigham and Women's Hospital
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States
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