title: [German Cohort Study of Women's Health--benefits of oral contraceptives. Study protocol].
abstract: This publication is about the study protocol of the German Cohort Study on Women's Health. The main objective is to investigate medical benefits of a long-term oral contraceptive use. The design is an analytical cohort study based on inquiries. Additional cases will be recruited to analyse rare events in separate case-control studies. Voluntary participants who signed to participate in a long-term study are included. An annual drop-out rate of 15% is expected. Study variables encompass personal characteristics, lifetime history of diseases, but also disturbances of the state of health, and quality of life. It is anticipated to achieve 400,000 women-years of observation by 2001 (historic and concurrent follow-up). The study started April 1, 1998 and the current financial phase finishes December 31, 2001. 6000 participants were recruited until December 1998 equivalent to about 190,000 observation-years. Until the end of 1999, an additional 70,000 women-years should be included. There have been many suggestions from participants' to include additional issues of women's health into the study.
authors.affiliation: Zentrum für Epidemiologie und Gesundheitsforschung Berlin. heinemann@zeg-berlin.de
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Heinemann
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garbe
authors.forename: U H
authors.initials: UH
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rabe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards*; D016387:Women's Health
chemical_list: D003276:Contraceptives, Oral