Shannen Doherty Says Cancer Changed Her Thoughts on Having Children

Shannen Doherty's life has unquestionably changed since getting diagnosed with breast cancer back in March 2015. While she was in remission by 2017, she got diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer in 2020. 

Doherty has been open about her cancer battle after her second diagnosis. And as per her accounts, the illness has affected many aspects of her life.

The facet most heavily influenced by the condition is her personal life. The veteran actress, who has been open about wanting children, was forced to reconsider her plans.

Doherty Changed Her Views on Having Children

Cancer put a lot of strain on Doherty's body. She underwent hormone therapy and chemotherapy to fight cancer, both of which had adverse effects on her.

The chemo caused weight gain, hair loss and affected her skin, speeding up aging. And the hormones added to the weight. But the worst of it all; it caused her menopause. 

She came off hormone therapy, but that presented another challenge; she couldn't get pregnant. Doherty could use estrogen, but she didn't want to risk her estrogen levels getting too high as higher levels could worsen cancer.

When Doherty revealed these details during her sit-down with Health in February 2019, she touched down other ways to have children — adoption and egg donors. 

However, the 50-year-old was also fearful of her uncertain fate at the time. "But there's fear there. Am I going to last five years? Ten years?" Doherty said.

Adding to this, she spoke about how she didn't want her potential kid to go through the grief of dealing with their mother's death young.

The Charmed actress, however, reiterated that she always wanted children. Then, acknowledging her tumultuous condition, she quipped, "But maybe I'm supposed to mother in a different way."

Shannen Doherty on Her Life after Cancer

Elsewhere in the aforementioned interview, Doherty got candid about her life after cancer diagnosis and revealed how it had changed her. 

"I felt more feminine and vulnerable than I've felt in my entire life," she shared, recounting she used to the strong one before the diagnosis.

Doherty explained every wall she had built up in her life came down after the bout with cancer. While she admittedly cut herself some slack, the disease also changed her perspective towards her career for good. 

"For the first time in my career, I'm looking at it in a very different way," she remarked. The Memphis native admitted she had become more strategic and methodological in putting a team together. 

While Doherty is focused more so than ever on her career, she is also equally active in spreading cancer awareness and enjoying her life and family time with her husband, Kurt Iswarienko. They have been married since 2011.