When Dolly Parton’s nephew Bryan Seaver announced her death on Tuesday he lovingly remembered her as an ‘aunt, sister, sis, Aunt Granny to one generation, and Gigi to the next’. Yet there’s one title that Dolly did not have – mother – after a lifetime of heartbreaking fertility struggles stopped her from having children. The country music legend, who died this week at the age of 80, did however, have millions of honorary children around the world, who grew up listening to her music and considered her a role model. Dolly also ensured she helped the lives of many minors around the world, famously stating that she believed ‘God didn’t let me have children so that all kids could be mine.’While the Jolene singer soon made peace with the fact she would not become a mother, she previously revealed that she and late husband Carl Dean had initially planned on becoming parents. She shared: ‘Early on, when my husband and I were dating, and then when we got married, we just assumed we would have kids,’ adding that Carl had even picked out names for their future children. How Dolly Parton’s heartbreaking fertility struggles and post-hysterectomy depression battle in the Eighties led her to dedicate her life to helping minors (pictured in 1983) Dolly shared: ‘Early on, when my husband and I were dating, and then when we got married, we just assumed we would have kids,’ adding that Carl had even picked out namesHowever, in the early Eighties Dolly began experiencing significant abdominal pain and haemorrhaging. Her condition landed her in the hospital several times and after she collapsed on stage during a 1984 concert in Indianapolis she was eventually diagnosed with endometriosis. Endometriosis arises when cells normally found in the womb lining attach themselves to other parts of the pelvic area – causing scar tissue, pain and inflammation. The condition affects one in ten women and can make it harder to fall pregnant. For Dolly, she ended up having a partial hysterectomy at the age of 38, rendering her infertile and leading to a battle of binge eating, excessive alcohol consumption and battling suicidal thoughts.In her book, Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, she revealed the impact the operation had on her, writing: ‘Suddenly I was a middle-aged woman. I went through a dark time.’ Yet she credited her faith with getting her through the hard times, telling Closer Weekly: ‘I hurt like everybody else. I’m not always happy… sometimes God just has to smack you down.’He was almost saying, “Sit your pretty little a** down because we have to deal with some stuff!”‘ Yet while she was ‘grateful it happened when I was still young enough to bounce back,’ she confessed that sometimes she would still mourn the life she never had. Dolly explained: ‘There are still moments when I do not want to get up in the morning, but then with kids I could not have had the career I have loved.’ The Queen of Country went on to build an illustrious career that saw her scoop 11 Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, along with nominations for two Academy Awards, six Golden Globes, and a Tony. ‘Since I had no kids, and my husband was pretty independent, I had freedom,’ she told Oprah Winfrey during a 2020 episode of Apple TV+’s The Oprah Conversation. ‘So I think a big part of my whole success is the fact that I was free to work.’ Dolly founded the Imagination Library, which mails one book per month to each enrolled child from the time of their birth until they enter kindergarten, in a bid to encourage literacyDolly also discussed creating the Imagination Library, which mails one book per month to each enrolled child from the time of their birth until they enter kindergarten, in a bid to encourage literacy.’If I hadn’t had the freedom to work, I wouldn’t have done all the things I’ve done,’ Dolly explained. ‘I wouldn’t be in a position to do all of the things I’m doing now.’She added in a chat with People magazine: ‘I have just been going so fast my whole life. And I just start thinking, “How in the world did I even have a life? How did I even get it done?”‘I never had children, so at least I didn’t have a guilty feeling. I’m thankful that I got to see my dreams come true.’Despite never having children of her own, Dolly spent her life surrounded by youngsters because of her tightknit bond with her family. She told Billboard in 2014: ‘I’m very close to my family – five of my younger brothers and sisters lived with me and Carl for many years – and we’re very close to our nieces and nephews. ‘Now that Carl and I are older, we often say, “Aren’t you glad we didn’t have kids?” Now we don’t have kids to worry about.’Dolly was dealt a devastating blow when Carl died last March at the age of 82. His cause of death was never released with Dolly stating at the time: ‘Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. ‘Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.’ Unlike the bubbly country legend, Carl was a more reclusive figure who eschewed the touring life and was rarely seen in public.Yet they would adore each other behind closed doors, with Dolly saying that part of the secret to their enduring love was that they were pleasantly different from each other. Dolly said: ‘He is not musical, but he is kind, funny and romantic. His poems are lovely and heartfelt. And that kind of stuff keeps us happy over the years – two old goats together.’ ‘They say that opposites attract, and it’s true,’ Dolly explained. ‘We’re completely opposite, but that’s what makes it fun. I never know what he’s gonna say or do. He’s always surprising me.’She later shed more light on why her husband avoided the spotlight, which he ‘never wanted to be in’, in a 2023 episode of What Would Dolly Do? Radio on Apple Music.’He went to one thing with me early on, when we first married, to a BMI Song of the Year [event], and he came out of there taking off his tuxedo, his tie and all that and said, “Don’t ever ask me to go to another one of these damn things because I ain’t going.” I never asked him and he never did,’ she recalled. Dolly and Carl spent six decades together before his death. Now a year and a half after his passing the pair will be reunited once more, with Dolly set to be laid to rest next to her husbandDolly and Carl spent six decades together before his death. Now a year and a half after his passing the pair will be reunited once more, with Dolly set to be laid to rest next to her husband. It was revealed after her death that Dolly had been privately battling cancer. ‘Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched,’ a statement from her representatives read.’After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones.’Her representatives also highlighted the extraordinary reach of Dolly’s ‘unmatched generosity’, noting she touched the lives of countless people she would never meet and was always ready to ‘offer a helping hand’.’Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact.’The star’s death was first confirmed in an Instagram video posted by her nephew Bryan, who also acted as her head of security.She died Tuesday morning after being hospitalised Friday at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center with autoimmune and kidney problems, according to TMZ.As news of Dolly’s rapidly deteriorating condition spread, her loved ones raced to Nashville to be by her side, but not all were able to reach her while she was alive.’This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,’ Bryan said.He hailed his aunt for having ‘lived in the light’ and said she was now ‘in the arms of Jesus’ and the company of her late husband Carl, as well as her parents and ‘countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens’.Bryan fondly recalled joining Dolly on tour when he was a child in the Eighties, sharing that she ‘opened doors, not just for me but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn’t even know was possible’.He characterised her as ‘a farmer, just like her daddy. He farmed the soil. She farmed songs and happiness. Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life of wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.’Bryan ended his video by stating: ‘Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly, Aunt Granny, Gigi. ‘May God bless Dolly Parton, and may God bless you all. She will always love you.’ What is endometriosis? How the disorder results in pelvic pain and internal scarringEndometriosis is an often painful disorder in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus — the endometrium — grows outside the uterus.It most commonly affects the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the tissue lining the pelvis.The primary symptom of endometriosis is pelvic pain, although many women also experience cramping during their menstrual cycle.Symptoms also include painful periods, pain with intercourse, pain with bowel movements or urination, inflammation, excessive bleeding, and infertility. Often misdiagnosed, many women only discover they have the condition during infertility treatment.Approximately half of women diagnosed with endometriosis have difficulty getting pregnant.While studies about the link between endometriosis and miscarriages are still ongoing, newer research suggests that the condition can leave sufferers at greater risk of having a miscarriage. Source: Mayo Clinic