Impact of lifestyle in middle-aged women on mortality: one article and many questions

摘要

The Royal College of General Practitioner's (RCGP's) Oral Contraception Study was set up to explore the longterm health effects of oral contraception.1 The recruitment of 47 000 women by 1400 GPs in the late 1960s was a monumental achievement. Not only has the Oral Contraception Study achieved its original objectives but, given the size of the cohort, it has proven to be a valuable resource to study many diverse issues, including the prevalence of chronic pain and the relationship of tubal sterilisation and subsequent allcause death.