In many French-speaking African countries, couples traditionally do not discuss reproduc- tion. DHS results show that in French-speaking African countries spousal communication about family planning is minimal. For example, the most recent Senegal DHS shows that only one-quarter of men who know about family planning discussed it with their wives even once in the year before the survey. Similarly, in Niger only one-quarter of husbands dis- cussed family planning with their wives during the previous year; and in Cameroon, only 39%. To stay healthy, partners must cooperate. Cooperation requires communication. When couples do not communicate about reproduction, partners cannot know.
