Why Shannen Doherty Thought Her Procedures to Become Mom Contributed to Her Cancer

Shannen Doherty sadly lost her battle with stage four cancer at age 53 on July 13, 2024. Her longtime publicist Leslie Sloane announced the devastating news in a statement on July 14, 2024.

“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty. On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease,” revealed Sloane.

She continued, “The devoted daughter, sister, aunt, and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie.” Doherty had no kids and had been married three times before she passed away. Her first two marriages were short-lived and her third with Kurt Iswarienko was her longest.

Doherty tied the knot with Iswarienko in October 2011 and after 11 years of marriage, she and the photographer split in January 2023. The two filed for divorce in April that year, citing irreconcilable differences.

Throughout their union, the actress had hailed her ex as her source of strength and support. Iswarienko stood by the television star as she battled breast cancer.

Doherty was first diagnosed with the disease in February 2015. She recalled how she informed Iswarienko of her diagnosis during this tough time.

Doherty was with her mom when the doctor told her the heartbreaking news. She was in the car and wanted to wait until she got home before she told him.

However, the “Beverly Hills, 90210” alum couldn’t wait, and she called Iswarienko and informed him of her cancer diagnosis. Upon her arrival home, Iswarienko stood in the driveway, awaiting her return.

He hugged her and told her that she was powerful, strong, and was going nowhere as they would get through the medical diagnosis together as a family.

Doherty’s cancer went into remission in 2017. Unfortunately, in February 2020, she disclosed that it had returned, and this time it was stage four cancer, shattering the hope built during her preceding years of health.

The illness coming back devastated the celebrity, who was hopeful that her treatment had helped her beat cancer and that she would enjoy a long future ahead.

Following her initial breast cancer diagnosis, Doherty openly expressed her longing to become a mother. She said that after chemotherapy, maybe there was a chance that she would have kids. But the then-45-year-old was realistic, pointing out her age.

She confessed that she and Iswarienko had spoken about children, but he had told her to focus on getting healthy, and if she were okay in the end, they would adopt. Doherty added that her ex said, “Maybe that’s our destiny.”

After having parted ways with Iswarienko, Doherty still dreamt of becoming a mother. “I would love nothing more than to be a mom,” she opened up. She recalled her struggle with in-vitro fertilization (IVF) before her first breast cancer diagnosis.

The public figure chose to undergo IVF so that she could have kids with her husband. She speculated that the reason she got cancer was because she underwent IVF, which pumped hormones into her body and increased her chances of getting the illness.

However, this was a risk she was willing to take because she didn’t just want a child for herself; she wanted one for her marriage and her husband. “I wanted him to have that part of himself fulfilled as well,” she added.

Doherty and Iswarienko met later in life, so she needed a few rounds of IVF to have children. The Hollywood star speculated that she got breast cancer from these procedures, since “a lot of other women that I knew that did IVF ended up getting breast cancer as well.”

After she completed chemotherapy and her cancer entered remission, Doherty decided to forgo IVF due to her entry into menopause.

Before passing away, the Tennessee native considered doing motherhood with a best friend or partner. She was still speculating on the idea but said any amount of time a child got with a parent was better than nothing.

Up until that point in her life, Doherty had her brother’s seven kids and her best friend’s children, whom she viewed as her own.

Doherty also opened up about her split from Iswarienko. She noted that in January 2023, her doctors told her the cancer had spread to her brain.

They said she needed surgery to remove a big tumor. This tumor would help doctors gain insight into her cancer’s pathology and to find the proper protocol for treatment.

Doherty was scared as the surgery approached as she was certain that she would die or lose the ability to talk or walk. To top things off, before she had surgery to remove the brain tumor, the film star discovered her marriage was technically over, as her husband had been involved in a two-year affair.

Yet Iswarienko still wanted to accompany her to the surgery, but she couldn’t go knowing he was there. “I felt so betrayed. At the end of the day, I just felt so incredibly unloved by someone I was with for 14 years, by someone that you know I loved with all my heart,” she lamented.

Doherty was glad that the people she loved, including her mother, other family members, and friends, accompanied her to the surgery. Her heart was broken, and the surgery didn’t remove all the tumors in her brain, but it went well. She underwent brain radiation to remove the rest of the brain tumor.

Doherty was lucky she didn’t lose any of her abilities after the medical procedure and radiation. She came out well; she lived and was happy to wake up to see her mom and other loved ones.

After splitting with Iswarienko, Doherty said she went through periods of feeling depressed. Things were not easy or smooth for her.

It was challenging for the “Little House on the Prairie” star to find herself single in her 50s while battling stage four cancer. The period was beyond depressing, but eventually, she turned a corner.

A few days before Thanksgiving in 2023, Doherty revealed that she was ready to find love again. “I was not ready at all before three weeks ago,” she confessed.

The brunette beauty hinted that something had happened, such as her ex telling her one thing, which made her know she had closure and could move on in a healthy manner.

Doherty divulged that she had a male best friend, whom she joked with about how they were married. Still, she did not know if her love would come from that or if she would stumble upon someone and have an instant connection.

She was open to all possibilities, a state that she wasn’t in before. The celebrity understood that she had to love herself and reckon with the past before she could move forward.

“I don’t think I’m going to be single forever … I’m pretty sure I’ll meet somebody — hopefully soon,” she proclaimed.

Despite the difficulties Doherty faced in life, she was optimistic about the future. The actress found the will to steer on from her inner strength and the support she received from her family and loved ones.