Thirty-five percent or about one-third of married women in the country are using modern contraceptive methods, according to the 2004 Family Planning Survey (FPS). This proportion is the same as hat recorded in the 2002 FPS. One out of 10 married women (14%) uses a traditional method, while five our of 10 (51%) are not using any contraceptive method atall. Modern methods include mucus/Billings/ovulation methods. Standard Days Method and Lactational Amennorhea Method. Traditional methods include calendar method, rhythm or periodic abstinence, and withdrawal.

Contraceptive pills and female sterilizationr remain the leading modern contraceptive methods. However, the use of these methods has somewhat leveled off between 2002 and 2004. According to the 2004 FPS, 9 percent of married women are ligated and 16 percent are using contraceptive pills. Meanwhile, the use of injectables and IUD has remained at their 2002 levels of 3 and 4 percent, respectively.

The public sector continues to provide supplies of modern methods to the majority of users of these methods. In 2004, about two-thirds of all users of modern methods obtain their supplies and services from the public sector. However, a substantial proportion of pill users shifted from rural health units and barangay health stations to the private sector, particularly pharmacies, for their supplies of pills. In 2002, 34 percent of pill users obtained their supply from the barangay health stations and 24 percent from the rural health units. In 2004, these percentages declined to 30 percent and 18 percent, respectively. By comparison, pharmacies provided supplies of contraceptive pills to four out of 10 users of the method in 2004 as compared to three out of 10 users in 2002.

The 2004 FPS is the eigth in a series of family planning surveys conducted nationwide by the NSO since 1995. A total of some 24,000 women aged 15 – 49 years were interviewed for the 2004 FPS. Funding assistance was provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and technical assistance, by the International Programs Center of the U.S. Census Bureau.

These are some of the major findings from the 2004 FPS. Other important findings will be presented during the Data Dissemination Forum on the results of the 2004 FPS on August 15, 2005 at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Manila.