"I have Crohn's disease," confides Shannen, 29, who plays good witch Prue Hallwell on the WB series.

And she says the condition, marked by a chronic inflammation of the intestine, can be quite embarrassing. People with the disease may experience abdominal pain, diarrhea and low-grade fever.

"It can kind of mess with you," explains Doherty, who divorced first husband Ashley Hamilton in 1994 and dates director Rob Weiss. "There's nothing sexy about women saying: 'I've got to go to the bathroom right now.'"

The disease occurs in about 150 out of 100,000 people in the United States. Symptoms may be mild to severe and interrupt normal digestion and absorption of foods. Most sufferers take medication or have surgery. There is no cure.

Unfortunately, Crohn's isn't the former Beverly Hills 90210 wild child's only health woe. An avid rider, Doherty says she's been thrown so many times by her horses that she now suffers from a painful back condition.

"I'm supposed to wear a brace 24 hours a day," she laments.