Shannen Doherty Speaks On The Negative Impact Of Cancer On Her Libido

Shannen Doherty has opened up about her ongoing battle with cancer, decrying its ravaging impact on her libido.

The actress has been candid about her health since she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation at the time.

On a recent episode of her "Let's Be Clear" podcast, the "Beverly Hills, 90210" alum shared that cancer has significantly affected her libido, stating that "s-- doesn't feel as good" as it used to.

"When you're feeling not great about yourself, that's going to kill your libido," Doherty stated.

"But then, when it actually impacts your libido, when meds take your libido away, or it makes things not as pleasant, s-- doesn't feel as good," she added.

Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and had to undergo mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation at the time.

She also underwent brain surgery last year and later disclosed that it had spread to other parts of her body.

Doherty also revealed that growing older contributed to her depleting s-- drive.

"Perimenopause, menopause, just getting older — all of it impacts not just your exterior," she said. "It's also impacting the whole way that your body is reacting and responding, and then you add to that cancer meds, you add to that, chemo, or and it just zaps you of everything."

"It takes away your confidence," Doherty added. "It takes away your identity."

As we previously reported, all hope is not lost for Doherty, as she recently disclosed that she had a "miracle" breakthrough amid her cancer treatment.

She noted that she had gone on a "new cancer infusion" but didn't "see a difference" after four treatments as people pressured her to reconsider. However, she explained that she didn't budge and told her radiation oncologist, Dr. Amin Mirhadi, that they were "gonna keep going with this and see."

"And yeah, after the sixth or seventh treatment, we really saw it breaking down the blood-brain barrier," she shared.

"That it's actually breaking down that blood-brain barrier is actually a miracle of that drug, a miracle of maybe God intervening and saying, 'I'm gonna give her a break,'" Doherty added. "Sometimes you're looking for miracles in all the wrong places, and they're right in front of your face."

Doherty's friend Anne Marie Kortright recounted how she helped push the "Heathers" actress to work on her sexual well-being, revealing that she took Doherty to an obstetrician/gynecologist named Dr. Sherrie Ross.

"Even though we're both conservatives in our own upbringings and like our backgrounds … I think the modeling business is a little bit more open than the way you were," Kortright, 41, said, per the New York Post.

She continued, "Of course, I took Shannen to the OB appointment, and I sat there with her because that's what I do."

"She took me because, you know, I specifically said to her, 'I need to do something,'" Doherty spoke up. "Things aren't working, and this isn't the life that I want to live."

"I also don't want my husband to live like this," the actress added, referring to her ex-husband, Kurt Iswarienko.

It was then Kortright shared that Dr. Ross gave Doherty a s-- toy to use and stimulate herself.

Kortright shared: "She goes, 'Here, Shannen, take this,' and Shannen, like, shoves it in her bag. She's like, 'You think you can see it?' and I'm like, 'No one can see it, no one knows it's there!' She's like, 'Are you sure?'"

"I was beet red," Doherty admitted.

Last year, Doherty disclosed that cancer had affected her brain and had spread to her bones, as she opened up on why death doesn't scare her.

"I don't want to die," she told People magazine at the time.

"I think I would be afraid of death if I wasn't a good person, but I am," she said. "I'm not afraid of dying, I just don't want to die, like, ever."

Doherty continued, "I'm not done with living, I'm not done with loving, I'm not done with creating, I'm not done with, hopefully changing things for the better. I'm just not done."

"My greatest memory is yet to come," the actress added.