The level of maternal mortality declined substantially in the past decade, although maternal mortality remains high compared with Western European and some other Eastern European countries. The level of unintended pregnancies continues to be high, with more than half of pregnancies unintended (as of 1999), and with the majority of those ending in abortion. While the MOH reports significant declines in abortion, the official abortion rate is still high relative to Western European and some other Eastern European countries. Disparities between official figures and the 1999 Ukraine Reproductive Health Survey (URHS) findings suggest that the number of abortions was 30 percent higher than reported; it is likely that abortion continues to be underreported. Avoidance of unintended pregnancies and reducing abortion are among the highest reproductive health priorities cited by many MOH officials, in part because they could contribute to further reducing maternal mortality. Based on the 1999 URHS, use of contraception increased during the 1990s. The overall level of contraceptive prevalence reached 68 percent of married women of reproductive age, but only 38 percent of couples used a modern method. When compared with more developed countries as well as other countries in the region, Ukraine has not been as successful. For example, modern contraceptive prevalence is significantly higher in Kazakhstan (55 percent) and Russia (53 percent). Traditional methods of contraception, used by 30 percent of couples, have higher failure rates; their use contributes to the continuing problem of abortion. (excerpt)