The 47-year-old admitted that the extended hours on the set of BH90210 - which is a spinoff of Beverley Hills 90210 - had "taken a toll."
"I’m exhausted. And I’m really terrible with self-care. When I‘m at work, I have a tunnel vision mentality," Shannen sadly confessed.
In an interview with Health, Shannen also opened up about her inability to get pregnant, due to the fact it increases the likelihood of a cancer reoccurrence.
"It’s not possible [for me to get pregnant] because I can’t get out of menopause. That would require estrogen, and I’m choosing not to take hormone pills—I can’t risk those levels coming up," she said.
The actress said that she and her husband, Kurt Iswarienko, had considered alternative options.
"We’re having conversations about an egg donor, maybe adoption. But there’s fear there. Am I going to last five years? Ten years? I certainly wouldn’t want my 10-year-old burying a mother. I’ve always wanted a kid. But maybe I’m supposed to mother in a different way," Shannen said.
According to People, the TV star is learning to accept the changes her body has gone through.
"I’m never going to be the size I used to be. Some of my meds that I’m on keep zapping the collagen out of me, so I’m never going to have a wrinkle-free face. I’m critical of myself. But there are some things you can’t fight."
Doherty said that ultimately, she was learning to be kinder to herself.
"I try to live each day as an amazing, precious gift that I’ve been given."