1. Experience with Studies in Several Countries.- 1.1 Introduction to the German Study and Aims of the Symposium.- 1.2 A Coordinated Program at the NIH to Evaluate the Side-Effects of Methods of Contraception: Experiences and Problems.- 1.3 Oral Contraception Study of the Royal College of General Practitioners.- 1.4 Drug Surveillance by Case-Control Methods as Means for Detecting Side-Effects of Oral Contraceptives.- 1.5 Building a Flexible Program to Evaluate the Effects of Fertility Control.- 1.6 Breast Cancer and Postmenopausal Estrogen Therapy in Two Los Angeles Retirement Communities.- 1.7 The National Survey of Family Growth and the Health Examination Survey as Means for Studying Contraception.- 2. Pilot Projects of the German Study Group.- 2.1 The Pilot-I Study: Analysis of Drop-Outs and Some Results of a Pill-Taking Typology.- 2.2 The Pilot-I Questionnaire: Reliability and Applicability to a Nation-Wide Study.- 2.3 Longitudinal Results for One Year in the Pilot-I Study.- 2.4 The Munich Pilot Study of Out-Patients of the I. Universitätsfrauenklinik München in Comparison to Pilot-I.- 2.5 A Randomized Trial Comparing Pill and IUD (Pilot-III).- 2.6 A Field Survey of Oral Contraceptives with Patient Pairs out of Gynecological Practices (Pilot-III).- 2.7 The Literature Activities of the Project 'Side-Effects of Oral Contraceptives - Pilot Phase'.- 3. The Planning of a German Long-Term Study.- 3.1 Reflections on and Alternatives for a German Long-Term Study on Side-Effects of Oral Contraceptives.- 3.2 Discussion of the Alternatives for a German Long-Term Study.- 4. Indices.- 4.1 Author Index.- 4.2 Participant Index.

Conference reports of scientific meetings do not automatically justi­ fy publication. Our decision to publish the Proceedings of this Sym­ posium was based on a number of reasons. The subject of more or less grave adverse side-effects of oral contra­ ception is of major importance for all women. If the research insti­ tutions of Gynecology make fundamental mistakes in this subject, then the trust in them will diminish substantially. National institutions will have to shoulder a part of that burden, too, if they do not suc­ ceed in timely prevention of grave and widespread health risks and damages. Adverse side-effects of oral contraception become only apparent in later life and probably only after a latent interval of at least 10 years. The German female population will be fully exposed to that situation during the next decade. Up to now about 40 % of the women aged 35 years or older have no experience with the pill. Ten years later nearly all of them shall have used the pill for a short period at least. If serious long-term side-effects exist, we have to build up our research strategy now to detect these health hazards in time. Large-scale studies cannot be generated just out of nothing, the development and review of ideas in a pilot phase is necessary. The pilot phase of a German long-term study began three years ago. We shall report our experiences of that pilot phase, because this might be of value for other projects of this kind.