Almost half of currently married 15-49 years old women in the Philippines use a family planning method, according to the 2005 Family Planning Survey (FPS). The contraceptive prevalence rate has not changed in the last five years, based on the results of the FPS conducted in the years 2001 to 2005. Thirty-six percent of married women rely on a modern method, mostly the pill (17 percent) and female sterilization (9 percent). Users of modern natural family planning methods comprise less than one percent. Modern natural family planning methods include cervical mucus method or ovulation method, or Billings method, standard days method (SDM) and lactational amenorrhea method (LAM). Thirteen percent of married women use a traditional method like withdrawal and calendar or rhythm method.

Family planning practice is associated with the socio-economic characteristics of the women. Women who are elementary graduates or have reached higher level of education are more likely to practice family planning than those who have not completed elementary school or those with no education. Also, women belonging to poor households are less likely to practice family planning than women in non-poor households (46 percent vs. 51 percent).

Among the regions, Cagayan Valley has the highest contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) with 58 percent, followed by Northern Mindanao (57 percent) and Central Luzon (55 percent). The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao remains to have the lowest CPR (16 percent).

The 2005 FPS is the ninth in a series of family planning surveys conducted nationwide by the NSO since 1995. About 48,000 women were interviewed nationwide. 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.

Other important findings were presented during the Data Dissemination Forum on the results of the 2005 FPS on May 16, 2006 at the Sulo Hotel.