Sparks & Favor PC

The Pap Test Changes Cervical Cancer Survival
Most women regard a Pap Test as a routine part of their reproductive health care. Sometimes you don’t even notice the moment during your exam when your doctor swabs or brushes the cervix to collect cells from its surface. This small sample of cells is sent to a lab where it is examined to look for pre-cancerous or cancerous cells within the sample.

In 1943, Dr. George Nicholas Papanicolaou published his description of a simple procedure that could distinguish normal from abnormal cells taken from swabs of the vagina and cervix…

Happy New Year 2023! Over the years, we’ve posted many greetings in this space suggesting healthy resolutions to start the year. The typical list includes weight-loss, smoking cessation, exercise, preventive healthcare, and so on—worthwhile goals for any new year.

This year we decided to change it up a bit. We begin 2023 with resolutions to make you happy. While none of these “resolutions” can minimize the burden of life’s serious challenges, they might offer you a few more smiles, moments of fun, chances to relax, or personal satisfaction over the next twelve months. Our list got…

The holidays bring a dramatic change in our usual routines. For most of us the festivities include more food and perhaps alcohol, travel, large gatherings of friends and family, more stress, and less rest. We wouldn’t have it any other way! But if you are pregnant, many holiday traditions require some special consideration. Here are a few tips to help our expectant moms enjoy the holidays safely…

Most people know that colds, flu, and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) are more common in winter. Predictions vary about whether Covid-19 will also show a strong seasonal pattern. As we gather to celebrate the holidays, we’d like to offer some information about the likelihood that one of these common viruses will find a home in your upper airway—and how to best protect yourself.
Is the risk of winter respiratory illnesses suddenly higher since COVID-19?
The situation has largely returned to where it was before COVID. Some years are worse than others. And individual cases from any…

Today former news anchor Katie Couric revealed that she has been undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Her announcement on social media read:

“Every two minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. On June 21st, I became one of them.” You can read her full post here. Seeing this headline and realizing that Breast Cancer Awareness Month is just a few days off, Dr. Favor wanted to pass along some important facts about breast cancer risk and breast care.

Dr. Favor emphasizes that the latest strategies against breast cancer include identifying women at higher risk and…

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Are you planning to become pregnant?
Will you have contact with an infant this year?
Are you attending college?
Have you reached age 60?
Are you planning foreign travel?
Most of us are very aware that children need immunizations to protect them from contagious diseases and to enroll them in school. Each summer, moms plan visits to the pediatrician to update the important blue slip, the Alabama Certificate of Immunization. But our need for vaccinations extends beyond childhood. The questions above are reminders of just some of the situations for which adult women need to consider their immunizations.
We know…

Surprising Facts:
Over 40% of women’s health providers choose the Intrauterine Device (IUD) for themselves according to one study. However, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reports that only about 12% of American women overall are choosing an IUD or other long-acting reversible contraception methods (LARC). These gynecologists and other providers help their patients learn about the advantages they enjoy themselves. Long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods like the intrauterine device (IUD) and arm implant (Nexplanon) are very reliable types of birth control that provide years of protection against pregnancy with a single device.
Why Do So…

On average, an American woman in 1970 was 21.4 years old at the birth of her first child. By 2006 a woman’s average age at her first delivery had risen to 25. And by 2014 it had crept up further to just over 26. During that same period the percent of first births to women over 35 increased from 1 in 100 to 1 in 12! The average U.S. woman giving birth (any child) is now 30 (2019), compared with 27 in 1990. As women choose more and more frequently to postpone childbearing, many of them begin…