Dr. Shoman accepts most major insurance plans, including Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Our staff will verify your coverage before your visit.
Most major plans also cover medically necessary gynecologic surgery, including laparoscopic and robotic procedures, and we verify your benefits before your procedure.
That depends on your insurance plan. Some plans require a referral for specialist visits, while others let you schedule directly. Please check with your insurance provider before booking.
We have two offices in New Jersey:
To book, call either office or request an appointment online.
No. Our practice is strictly focused on gynecological problems. We do not offer pregnancy testing, confirmation or prenatal care.
Please bring:
At your visit, you can expect a detailed medical evaluation, a clear explanation of the findings, a personalized treatment plan, and a discussion of both surgical and nonsurgical options.
Medically necessary gynecologic surgery is typically covered by most major insurance plans, though coverage varies. Our staff will verify your benefits and tell you about any out of pocket costs in advance.
We care for women and adolescents aged 12 and older.
You can use the MyChart patient portal. It lets you:
Yes. Most minimally invasive procedures are outpatient, and most patients go home the same day. More complex cases may need a short stay.
Operating time ranges from 20 to 30 minutes for a diagnostic laparoscopy to 1 to 3 hours for a hysterectomy or extensive endometriosis excision. Your total time at the facility, including preparation and recovery, is typically 4 to 6 hours. You can’t drive yourself home, so please arrange a ride in advance.
It depends on your procedure, and Dr. Shoman’s instructions for you always come first. As a general guide after minimally invasive surgery:
It depends on how it is done.
Whenever it is safe, we remove only the cyst (a cystectomy) and leave your healthy ovary in place to protect your hormones and fertility.
Short, easy walks in the first week help more than rest alone.
Most of what you feel afterward is your body healing, and it fades. Common side effects include:
Call us for a fever, pain that is getting worse instead of better, heavy bleeding, or anything oozing from an incision.
Usually only a little, and mostly when the cyst was large. You lose the weight of the cyst and any fluid it held, and you may look less bloated once the swelling eases. This is not weight loss surgery, though. It does not affect body fat.
Many women get their first period about four to six weeks after surgery. It may be heavier, lighter or crampier than usual while your hormones settle. Because keeping the ovary means you keep ovulating, your cycle usually returns to its normal pattern within one or two cycles.
If your periods stay irregular or painful well beyond that, mention it at your follow up visit. We can check for conditions such as endometriosis or PMOS.
It depends on the type of surgery:
If you plan to get pregnant, Dr. Shoman typically
recommends waiting 3 to 6 months after a laparoscopic myomectomy so the uterine wall can heal.
Yes. If your ovaries are removed, you will have an immediate hormonal shift into surgical menopause. If your ovaries are preserved, they keep producing hormones normally, and a hysterectomy alone will not cause surgical menopause.
Removing the ovaries is a separate decision from the hysterectomy itself. Healthy ovaries are usually left in place unless there is a medical reason to remove them.
Yes. Dr. Shoman evaluates cases involving fibroids, endometriosis and complex pelvic conditions. He understands both traditional and minimally invasive surgical options, so you get a complete picture of what is available to you.
Many insurance plans cover second opinion consultations, particularly before major procedures like a hysterectomy. A second opinion visit usually takes longer than a standard visit because we review your prior records and imaging in detail. Please bring your imaging results, operative reports and a timeline of your symptoms.
bowel movements or urination, heavy or irregular bleeding, fatigue, bloating, and difficulty getting pregnant.
Diagnosis is based on:
No single blood test confirms endometriosis. An ultrasound can show some signs, such as ovarian cysts, but it cannot find every case, especially small surface lesions. See a specialist if you have severe or persistent pelvic pain, especially if it disrupts your daily life or standard treatments have not helped.
Yes. Endometriosis can persist or keep growing after a hysterectomy. This is more likely if disease outside the uterus was not fully treated during the original surgery, or if the ovaries were kept.
Removing the ovaries takes away the main hormonal driver and greatly reduces the chance of symptoms continuing, but it does not guarantee they will stop in every case.
A phantom period means feeling the signs of a period, such as cramping, bloating, sore breasts, fatigue and mood changes, without any bleeding. It is an everyday term rather than a medical diagnosis, but the symptoms are real.
There is usually a cause, such as:
Usually a few hours to about a week. How long depends on the cause:
See a gynecologist if symptoms last longer than a full cycle, return every month for no clear reason, or keep getting worse.
Some women do report symptoms like a period after a hysterectomy, especially if the ovaries were left in place. The ovaries can keep cycling through hormonal changes even without a uterus.
If the pain returns or persists after a hysterectomy, especially if it follows a monthly pattern, see a specialist. It can be a sign of endometriosis that was left behind.
Most ovarian cysts do not. The vast majority are functional cysts, which are harmless and do not affect fertility. Pathological cysts, mainly endometriomas, are the ones most strongly linked to fertility problems.
If you are trying to get pregnant:
They carry different risks.
A proper diagnosis is what tells you how serious your own case is.
Not completely. A healthy diet and exercise can slow growth and help manage symptoms, but they will not make established fibroids disappear. There is limited evidence that vitamin D may help reduce fibroid size, but it is not a cure on its own, so talk to your doctor before taking supplements.
For small fibroids without symptoms, a healthy lifestyle may be enough to keep them manageable. Large or severely symptomatic fibroids usually need a procedure, such as uterine fibroid embolization or a myomectomy.
Not all fibroids affect fertility, but some can. The risk is higher with large or numerous fibroids, or fibroids in certain parts of the uterus. They can:
Fibroids that distort the uterine cavity can also increase the risk of miscarriage. If you are having trouble getting pregnant, a consultation can show whether your fibroids are a factor.
Doctors grade uterine prolapse in four stages:
Mild to moderate prolapse can often be treated without surgery, with pelvic floor physiotherapy, a pessary (a removable support device) and lifestyle changes. Surgery is more commonly recommended at Stages III and IV.
Yes. In May 2026, an international consensus published in The Lancet renamed polycystic ovary syndrome to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, or PMOS. The old name was misleading: most people with the condition do not have true ovarian cysts. It also suggested a purely gynecologic problem, when the condition affects hormonal, metabolic, reproductive, skin and mental health together.
If you have already been diagnosed with PCOS, that diagnosis stands. You do not need repeat testing or a new evaluation. Your medical records and insurance coding may still say PCOS during the transition.