PIP: Although Mexico's 1965 total fertility rate of 7.1 was similar to that of populations not using contraceptives, by 1976 some 21-23% of fertile aged women (FAW) used some contraceptive method. The National Family Planning Plan was approved in 1977 (NFPP-77). Its first phase, from 1977-82, began with careful collaboration among representatives of health sector organizations to establish guidelines and procedures for family planning activities. Contraceptive usage by FAW in union increased from 23.1% according to the 1976 Mexico Fertility Survey to 41.5% according to the 1982 National Demographic Survey. The natural increase rate dropped from 3.2% in 1976 to 2.4% in 1982. The 1987 National Survey of Fertility and Health indicated that the increase in contraceptive usage between 1982 and 1987 amounted to only 7.95%, and the natural increase rate in 1988 was estimated at 2.3%. The slowing of the increase in contraceptive usage between 1982 and 1987 has not yet been fully explained, but it may have resulted from personnel changes or the country's serious economic problems. By 1992, the National Survey of Demographic Dynamics indicated that 55.0% of married FAW used a method, and the 1995 National Survey of Family Planning revealed that 57.4% did so. The role of the public sector in supplying modern contraceptives increased greatly between 1979-95, while the contribution of the private sector remained more limited. In 1979, 16.4% of couples obtained their supplies from the public sector and 15.6% from the private sector. By 1995, 41.3% of couples obtained supplies from the public sector and 16.1% from the private sector. NFPP-77 is still in place and giving results, although it has assumed a lower profile than it previously displayed.^ieng