Why Marilyn Monroe Never Had Any Children

Popular American icon Marilyn Monroe was arguably one of the biggest names in Hollywood by during the height of her fame in the 1950s and early '60s. Named by the American Film Institute in 1999 as the sixth greatest female star of the 20th century, Monroe's influence has certainly outlasted her. 

Although she was beloved by film buffs around the world for her numerous performances on-screen, her troubled yet dynamic personal life was also of great interest to the public. Married three times — most notably, to baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, and subsequently, playwright Arthur Miller — Monroe also experienced three divorces, as well as numerous well-known affairs with several high-profile individuals (most notably the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and his brother, Robert Kennedy). 

However, despite Monroe's beauty, charm, and sex symbol status, the film legend never actually had any children. But what was the reason for this? Well, it turns out that the famed actor did, indeed, have a strong and nearly lifelong desire to start a family. However, a certain condition she had prevented her from doing so.

Although Marilyn Monroe never actually had any children, she did attempt to start a family several times. Unfortunately, all those attempts ended in miscarriages. 

According to Biography, Monroe's commitment to getting pregnant and having a child began in earnest upon her marriage to playwright Arthur Miller in 1956, only a year after her divorce from baseball center fielder Joe DiMaggio. Miller had recently turned 40 and already had two children by his first wife, Mary Slattery, while Monroe had just turned 30 and had no children with her first husband, James Dougherty. (Monroe married Dougherty when she was just 16, and divorced him four years later.) 

But issues arose almost immediately, as Monroe ended up having two miscarriages, followed by an ill-fated ectopic pregnancy. These miscarriages only exacerbated her already fragile mental state. As director Billy Wilder put it, per E! News, "I had no problem with Monroe. Monroe had problems with Monroe. She had problems with herself." Monroe and Miller ended up getting divorced in January 1961. And, 19 months later, in August 1962, she would end up dying after overdosing on barbiturates. 

Although the end of Marilyn Monroe's marriage to Arthur Miller in the early '60s may have been caused, in part, by her depression and other mental health issues — and likely exacerbated by her three miscarriages — her prior marriage to Joe DiMaggio was equally publicized, and just as doomed. 

According to the NCBI, Monroe had endometriosis, a condition which causes infertility in about half of those whom it affects. In fact, Monroe's endometriosis was so severe, the organization reports that it "destroyed her marriages, her wish for children, her career and ultimately her life." Despite this, according to Biography, Monroe and DiMaggio still intended to have children upon their marriage in 1954. 

"Joe and I had been talking about getting married for some months," Monroe told author Ben Hecht for her biography, "My Story." "We knew it wouldn't be an easy marriage. On the other hand, we couldn't keep on going forever as a pair of cross-country lovers. It might begin to hurt both our careers." Of course, the marriage would end up producing no children, and only lasted around nine months. The two ended up divorcing after they started developing serious personality differences, with Monroe even accusing DiMaggio of "mental cruelty."