Abstract

PIP: More than 17,000 women are currently under observation as part of a prospective long-term study of women on different contraceptive started in 1968. The women were all white, married, British subjects, aged 25-29 years, who voluntarily agreed to participate. 56% were using oral contraceptives, 25% were using a diaphragm, and 19% were using an IUD. 56,000 woman-years of experience has been obtained. Follow-up has been maintained with an annual lapse rate of .3%. The study included 24 deaths. Women who used oral contraceptives experineced a deficiency of hospital referrals for cancer, benign lesions of the breast, menstraul disorders, duodenal ulcer, and retention cysts of the ovary; and an excess of referrals for cerebrovascular disease, cervical erosion, skin disorders, self-poisoning, migraine, venous thrombosis and embolism, hay fever, gallbladder disease, amenorrhea, and sterility. Women who used a disphragm showed a deficiency of hospital referrals for carcinoma-in-situ, and dysplastic lesions of the cervix uteri and accidental injury; and an excess of referrals for hemorrhoids and cystitis. Women who used an IUD experienced an excess of hospital referrals for anemia, varicose veins and pelvic inflammatory disease. T he outcome of unplanned pregnancies occurring in women using an IUD was unfavorable. The available evidence is insufficient to allow a final balance to be struck between the benefits and risks associated with the new methods of contraception.