For every 100,000 live births in the Philippines, 162 women die during pregnancy and childbirth or shortly after childbirth, according to the 2006 Family Planning Survey (FPS). This ratio of maternal deaths to live births, estimated from interviews with about 45,000 women in April 2006, is lower than the last available estimate of 172 deaths from the 1998 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). Both estimates of the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) were made by asking women about the survivorship of their sisters and whether any deaths of sisters were maternity-related. Both estimates refer to 7-year period prior to the year the survey was conducted. The latest estimate refers to the period 1999-2006. The MMR is defined as the number of women who die from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management (excluding accidental or incidental causes) during pregnancy and childbirth or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, per 100,000 live births.