EXCLUSIVE: Marilyn Monroe Baby Death Horror — How Bombshell Feared Her Pill-Popping and Boozing Killed Unborn Child
Monroe feared her pill and alcohol abuse killed her unborn child.
June 3 2026, Published 3:10 p.m. ET
Marilyn Monroe feared her desperate use of sleeping pills and alcohol may have contributed to the loss of an unborn child, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Her horrific trauma over the possibility she had killed her own fetus was laid bare in a heartbreaking handwritten letter that sheds new light on the Hollywood icon's lifelong struggle to become a mother.
Marilyn's Heartbreaking Baby Dream
Marilyn Monroe feared her drug use harmed her pregnancy.
Monroe, who died aged 36 in 1962 and would have celebrated her 100th birthday on June 1, endured years of chronic health problems, including severe endometriosis, a painful condition that experts say left her reliant on powerful medications.
The actress, born Norma Jeane Mortenson, suffered repeated hospitalizations, fertility difficulties and multiple suspected miscarriages during her life.
Newly examined documents and accounts from historians have renewed attention on the devastating impact her health battles may have had on her dream of having children.
A source familiar with Monroe's medical history told us: "What makes this story so tragic is that Marilyn desperately wanted a baby and genuinely feared that the medication and drinking she turned to in moments of pain may have harmed her pregnancy. Her letter shows panic, guilt and heartbreak all at once."
Secret Letter Reveals Her Fear
The actress wrote a heartbreaking handwritten letter.
The concern emerged in a handwritten note later put up for auction, in which Monroe described symptoms suggesting she believed she was pregnant.
She wrote: "I think I've been pregnant for about three weeks or maybe two.
"My breasts have been too sore to even touch – I've never had that in my life before also they ache – also I've been having cramps and slight staining since Monday – now the staining is increasing and pain is increasing by the minute."
The actress then revealed her fears over medication and alcohol consumption.
She wrote: "I did not eat at all yesterday – also last night I took 4 whole Amitall sleeping pills, which was by actual count really 8 little Amitall sleeping pills. Ask this question – could I have killed it by taking all the Amital on an empty stomach? (except I took some sherry wine also). What shall I do? If it is still alive I want to keep it!"
Another Monroe historian said the letter offered a rare glimpse into the private anguish that existed behind the star's glamorous public image.
He said: "This wasn't Marilyn Monroe the movie star. This was a frightened woman confronting the possibility that she might lose the child she had always wanted. The language in the letter reveals how desperate she was for reassurance."
Illness Took a Devastating Toll
Anthony Summers documented the extent of her medical condition.
Anthony Summers, author of the 1985 biography Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe, documented the extent of Monroe's endometriosis and its impact on her life.
He wrote: "(It) was so severe that it destroyed her marriages, her wish for children, her career and ultimately her life. In days before effective conservative surgery or effective medical therapies, it led to progressively increasing use of strong analgesics, tranquilisers and hypnotics – and drug dependency."
Bryan Johns, president and chief executive of the ICON Collection, said Monroe's medical condition was often misunderstood during her lifetime.
He said: "She had terrible, debilitating endometriosis, and was hospitalized and under medical supervision for that condition throughout her life. Although she had communicated her health issues to the studio, oftentimes the studio would refute this and accuse her of making it up in order to try and keep her under their control – defining the narrative to the gossip columnists."
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Severe endometriosis destroyed Monroe's career and marriages.
Family friend and stylist Amy Greene later recalled that doctors once suggested Monroe undergo a hysterectomy because of her suffering.
Greene said: "Marilyn was emphatic. She said, 'I can't do that. I want to have a child. I'm going to have a son.'
"She always talked of having a son."
