Abmnomal pap smear test? What are the causes?

I had a baby about 3 months ago. I went for my postpartum check up and my pap smear came back abnormal. Before I had my baby, the paps came back normal. Now I have to go for a colposcopy. I had a c-section birth. I don't know how I could have an abnormal pap smear. I haven't had intercourse unprotected. I have no clue. Also I have insurance but I herd that it's expensive to have a colposcopy and the lab tests. How much is it before the insurance company pays? Thank you!

Don't freak out just yet hun, abnormal pap smears are way more common than a lot of women realize. It could have been a bad pap done, improper handling in the lab, you were close to having your period or closely had come off of it, etc. There are tons of reasons that would cause it to become abnormal. They do a colposcopy just to be safe because an abnormal pap can also be an indicator of cervical dysplasia and/or cervical cancer. But many times, this turns out to be nothing but squamous (benign) cell build up.

A little warning about the colposcopy. You may feel some slight pain during the biopsy of the cervix but it shouldn't be a sharp pain. Basically like an uncomfortable cramp. You may even cramp some afterwards and spotting afterwards isn't abnormal either. The colposcopy can take some time, depending on what method the doctor uses. When I had mine done (I've had 9 of them) they swabbed my cervix with iodine to turn any abnomal cells a different color so they would be easy to see. My cervix was "broadcast" onto a television in the room viz a camera between my legs so they could look more closely. They biopsied every area of abnormal cells and I got the test results back in 7-10 days. Just try to stay calm and think positive. Many women go through this everyday and it turns out to be nothing. Good luck!