Marilyn Monroe’s seemingly glamorous life was punctuated by many health struggles that flew under people’s radars. During a 2026 conversation with the peopleOver the years, the Hollywood icon has particularly suffered from endometriosis, a painful condition defined by tissue resembling the inner lining of the uterus growing outside the organ, said Brian Jones, president and CEO of ICON Collection. According to Jones, although Monroe was hospitalized for the condition at several points, those in the industry generally did not believe she was being honest about her health.
In Anthony Summers’ 1985 book Goddess: The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, he claimed that there were not many effective treatments for endometriosis at the time, and Monroe later had to rely on various painkillers to relieve her pain. The condition, which can cause infertility, has likely seriously affected the Some Like It Hot star’s personal life. “The condition was so serious that it destroyed her marriage, her desire to have children, her career, and ultimately her life,” he wrote.
According to the 2022 documentary “The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes” (trans Yahoo!) The famous actress suffered three pregnancies in her first marriage to Arthur Miller. It is believed that her second pregnancy was ectopic, a condition caused by the fertilized egg implanting itself outside the uterus. Furthermore, Summers claimed in his book that Monroe adamantly refused to have a hysterectomy, one of the few operations that was performed. Treatments available for endometriosisBecause she wanted to have children.
Marilyn Monroe’s struggles with endometriosis highlighted issues that women still face today
It cannot be denied that in this day and age, Endometriosis can best be explained by its causes, symptoms, and treatments than when Marilyn Monroe was diagnosed with it. However, research has indicated that we still have a long way to go to fully understand the condition. According to A Study 2026 In Sage Open Medicine, 46.87% of people referred to a hospital in Indonesia between 2020 and 2024 received a misdiagnosis before their condition was correctly identified as endometriosis.
Meanwhile, A Study 2020 In Diagnosis (Berlin) found that 75.2% of women had been diagnosed with a different mental or physical problem, usually by a gynecologist or general practitioner, before receiving a diagnosis of endometriosis. On average, the delay in receiving the correct diagnosis was 8.5 years. Cathy Huang, MD, Director NYU Langone The Endometriosis Health Center said that one of the main reasons for the condition being misdiagnosed is that its symptoms are similar to those of other conditions, and that it may be present with other health problems. Dr. Huang believes it’s important to find a health care provider who wants to look at the pain associated with endometriosis rather than dismiss it.
Unfortunately, misdiagnosis is only one of many other problems Factors that make endometriosis so difficult to treat. According to Global Health OrganizationThe cause of this condition is still unknown, although an estimated 190 million women of reproductive age have been diagnosed with it. Although treatment can help relieve symptoms and infertility caused by endometriosis, the condition itself has no cure.
