Netflix’s latest blockbuster production, Blonde, the fictionalised biopic of Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe was released on September 28.

Critics are having a field day as some praise Ana de Armas’ commitment to the character while others have criticized director Andrew Dominik’s take on biopics, with some calling it exploitative. 

Just as she was in film, Monroe’s life was equal parts cinematic and tragic. While tremendously successful, she regularly struggled with addiction, mood disorders and constant scrutiny from the public. In the end, the starlet whose films grossed a total of $200 million over the years died after overdosing on barbiturates at her Los Angeles home. 

Also Read | 5 best Marilyn Monroe movies

Throughout her life, Monroe suffered from Endometriosis, a condition where the cells lining the inside of the uterus grow outside. The condition caused significant pain and makes menstrual cycles illegal. In fact, the Hollywood legend’s condition was so bad that it necessitated a clause in her contract that she would be allowed to be absent while on her period. 

Also Read | The controversies surrounding Marilyn Monroe

The ‘blonde bombshell’ as she came to be known in the 1950s, married playwright Arthur Miller in 1956. While the two were married, Monroe had an ectopic pregnancy in mid-1957. An ectopic pregnancy is when an embryo attaches outside the uterus which can lead to an unviable fetus. 

While it is known that Monroe suffered several abortions throughout her life, partially as a result of her Endometriosis and partially because of her drug habit, there is no concrete evidence that she was forced by 20th Century Fox to abort a pregnancy.

Also Read | Norma Jean relationship with mother: Did she try to kill Marilyn Monroe

However, that doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen to others in Hollywood at the time. Film production companies would worry about actresses having children at the peak of their careers, which would reduce the studio’s profits.

Also Read | ‘Blonde’ movie: Inside Marilyn Monroe’s JFK affair and cause of death

As a result, companies began to add a morality clause into contracts from 1922 which meant that even if an actress was pregnant, she would have to either terminate her contract to have the child, or terminate the pregnancy to keep her contract going.