Sparks & Favor PC

Group B Streptococcus (Group B strep or GBS) is a type of bacteria that can cause illness in people of all ages. In newborns, the effect of Group B Strep infection can be very serious. It can cause meningitis (infection of the spinal fluid and lining around the brain), pneumonia (lung infection), and sepsis (blood infection). We want our pregnant patients to understand the recommendations that will help protect your baby from this illness. Obstetricians have followed these recommendations for many years, and we have been very successful in making early-onset newborn infection a rare event. The message here…

Did you know, it is possible to safely lighten or eliminate your monthly period? The use of birth control pills or other hormonal birth control products to control the timing of your period or avoid it entirely is called menstrual suppression. Women can choose to suppress their periods for a short time or even for many months or years.

As a gynecologist for over two decades, I know that a monthly period and the discomfort that often accompanies it never happen at a convenient time in a woman’s life. As a busy mother of two, I understand the frustration…

One of the great privileges of our work as obstetricians is the opportunity to witness, again and again, the moment when a man becomes a father. During the pregnancy, he waits in a supporting role. He attends prenatal appointments and childbirth classes, assembles a crib, installs a car seat, and offers his partner whatever help and comfort he can. During the first minutes after the birth, he watches his partner hold their tiny infant against her skin while a nurse works to clear the baby’s nose and mouth and dry the skin. Someone calls out a few numbers (the…

We are very pleased to welcome Dr. MacKenzie Malek to Sparks and Favor. We will begin scheduling her appointments within the coming weeks (watch for announcement on our social media pages). She will be seeing patients in early August!

Undergraduate Education: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Medical Education: University of Alabama School of Medicine
Residency: The Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine – Scott & White
Board Certified: American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Fellow, American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Dr. MacKenzie Malek grew up in Huntsville, Alabama. Her interest in the sciences did not surprise…

For the Class of 2023, graduation events are mostly behind you, and the time until move-in day doesn’t seem like nearly enough for all your summer plans. Whether you are starting college or taking your first step into a career, a wellness exam might be on your summer to-do list.

Colleges and employers vary in whether they require a formal physical exam or other health-related assessments. Most require some health information, but regardless, this is a perfect time to take charge of your own health. Changes in your environment, diet, stress, sleep habits, and exposure to…

There may be a delay in receiving your mammogram or other imaging results. The radiology practice that reads mammograms for our office and mammograms and other imaging for Brookwood’s Women’s Diagnostic Center recently had damages to its facility. No studies were lost, but it is taking time to recover and catch up on the backlog of reports.
We will be working diligently to release your results after receiving them from the radiologist.

Sign up for the patient portal so that your results can be released to you electronically instead of having to wait for a letter in the…

As the average age of first-time mothers continues to creep upward, more women have questions about future fertility and fertility-extending technology. According to the CDC, this average age has reached 27.3 years (2021). And women sometimes delay their pregnancy plans far beyond this age for professional and personal reasons.
“Should I freeze my eggs?”
We hear this question in the office more frequently as more women become aware that the technology exists. In fact, the number of women seeking oocyte cryopreservation (freezing eggs) has increased dramatically over the last decade. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine no…

FOR COLORECTAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH: THIS POST HAS BEEN REVISED TO INCLUDE NEW INFORMATION ABOUT COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING AND GENETIC TESTING.
We understand that, through a large part of her life, her gynecologist may be the only physician a woman sees every year. While our focus is your reproductive health, we want you to be well-informed about other health issues you may face now or in the future. Colorectal cancer is one of these risks.
Despite the fact that these cancers are highly preventable and very treatable in earlier stages, they are the third leading cause of cancer deaths…

What’s for dinner tonight? Chances are good that it’s not a fish or seafood meal. The USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that 8 ounces of fish/seafood per week are part of a healthy eating pattern. Most Americans (80 to 90%) do not reach that goali. We may be missing out on nutrients that benefit our overall health.
Why is Fish an Important Nutrient Source?ii
(For everyone, but especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or might become pregnancy.)

Fish is an excellent source of protein—one of the critical building blocks of tissue growth, repair…

As we come to the end of Heart Month, we’d like to remind women about unique heart-health risks you may face decades before the menopause years. In the U.S., cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death during pregnancy and the postpartum period (the weeks after delivery). 

An essential part of your pregnancy-related healthcare visits, both before conception and throughout your pregnancy, is a measure of your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is not normal, we often recheck it again later in your visit. James Martin, M.D., chair of the Pregnancy and Heart Disease…