Alex Reid’s fiancée starts fourth round of IVF after five miscarriages and trolls calling her fertility struggle KARMA
ALEX Reid’s fiancée has started her fourth gruelling round of IVF, after enduring five miscarriages.
Nikki Manashe, 34, has been bombarded by trolls over her public fertility struggle, with some cruelly telling her it’s “karma”.
The former cruise ship performer met cage fighter Alex, Katie Price’s ex-husband, in a gym in 2013.
Within months, she was pregnant – but Nikki had an ectopic pregnancy and miscarried their baby.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous Digital, Nikki said: “Every time I would go through IVF I would see nasty comments online from trolls.
“Having to read all that when I’m at my lowest was really tough.
“I was told ‘it’s karma for being with Alex’, ‘look she’s a fat mess he’s downgraded’ and ‘thank God their baby died, who would want another one of them in the world?’
“There will also be women private messaging Alex on Instagram saying ‘she might not be able to carry your baby, but I can’. That happened literally the day after I miscarried.
“People will message me telling me to give up and give my body a rest.
“Then they’ll be others who will create fake accounts to leave nasty comments.
“We just want to start a family and be happy. But that’s a struggle when we live in a world where everyone wants to air their opinion.
“No-one knows what is going on behind closed doors, but people still bully and harass on social media.
“It’s these kind of comments that break people down. But we won’t let this get us down. We’re determined to welcome baby Reid into the world.”
I was told ‘it’s karma for being with Alex’. Having to read all that when I’m at my lowest was really tough
Nikki Manashe
The couple had a “whirlwind” relationship at first, falling pregnant and moving in together within just months of meeting.
But Nikki’s ectopic pregnancy almost burst one of her Fallopian tubes, making it difficult for her to conceive again naturally.
Nikki said: “I accidentally got pregnant, then I had this really uncomfortable feeling in my stomach.
“My friend ended up rushing me to hospital and apparently I was hours away from my Fallopian tube bursting.”
Alex, who has a daughter from a previous relationship, proposed to Nikki in 2014. She said: “When we met, it was an absolute whirlwind romance.
“We initially met through the gym but he managed to get a hold of my number and phoned me up pretending to be someone from an Indian takeaway.
“He was saying ‘Nikki your chicken korma is ready’ and I kept saying ‘I didn’t order anything!’
“I was about to hang up before he stopped and said ‘it’s Alex’, which was quite the relief.
“I remember fancying him when I saw him on the TV a few years before.
“I just completely fell for him. I just loved spending time with him and I didn’t want to waste time. I just knew it was right.”
The couple started their first round of IVF in 2016 and Nikki got pregnant with twins. But she lost one at eight weeks, and the other three weeks later.
Nikki said: “I had to take a year out to recover mentally. I was just so broken and depressed.
“There were no signs to suggest it was going that way. To get all excited and for it to be snatched away twice was just awful.”
I had to take a year out to recover mentally. I was just so broken and depressed
Nikki Manashe
The couple tried again in 2017, but Nikki miscarried again at seven weeks.
After taking another year out to grieve, they began their third cycle in August last year.
But history was to tragically repeat itself and Nikki experienced her fifth miscarriage in September last year. They’ve never been able to get past the 12-week mark.
The couple started another round of IVF earlier this month, at The Harley Street Fertility Clinic. If all goes to plan, they could be pregnant by the summer.
She said: “We usually take a year out so we can recover from our loss, but I’m not getting any younger and we are desperate to welcome baby Reid.”
In a bid to keep his sperm as healthy as possible, Alex has ditched caffeine, booze and baths – after some studies suggested hot soaks in the tub can reduce sperm count.
He said: “I’ve got to keep my sperm as healthy as possible. It’s a 50:50 thing. It’s the epitome of an equal relationship and having to work together.
“The hardest thing for me is cutting out caffeine. I live a 80:20 balance with diet so I can keep my sperm healthy.
“I’ve stopped having baths because it’s bad for your balls.
“With food, I’ve been trying to get back to how our ancient ancestors lived – just cutting out all the artificial rubbish.
“I do have the odd beer and hot chocolate from time to time, but my focus is to have everything the best it can be for baby Reid.”
Nikki added: “Over the years, I’ve learned a lot of things and even if my eggs are weak, it’s just as important to have healthy sperm.
“We’ve overhauled our diets and are trying to do things by the book.
“I’m sticking to a Mediterranean diet, so natural fats and just not eating anything artificial. The other day I had a Diet Coke and I then I felt guilty.”
Earlier this month, doctors removed a cyst from one of Nikki’s ovaries and she started hormone injections.
The couple are now having weekly appointments to monitor their progress, and hope to have two rounds of egg collection before fertilisation and implantation.
Ectopic pregnancy: the facts
An ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb, usually in one of two fallopian tubes.
In the UK, around one in every 90 pregnancies is ectopic, or 11,000 pregnancies every year.
It’s not possible for an ectopic pregnancy to develop into a baby. It’s important to remove the egg as soon as possible, using medication or an operation, or the mother’s health may be at risk.
Many ectopic pregnancies have no symptoms, and are only detected at the 12-week scan.
Symptoms include tummy pain low down on one side, vaginal bleeding or brown discharge, pain in the tip of your shoulder, or discomfort when peeing or pooing.
To treat an ectopic pregnancy, some women have to have one fallopian tube removed. Around 65% of women have a successful pregnancy within 18 months of an ectopic pregnancy. But some women need IVF or other fertility treatments afterwards.
Nikki said: “They removed the cyst to give the eggs the power to grow. I’m currently self-medicating with the hormones.
“Once the doctors remove the eggs and create an embryo with Alex’s sperm, I’m going to be doing it all over again so I can have a frozen cycle.
“The doctors will create a big batch. Rather than playing Russian Roulette later down the line, they will test each embryo to limit the chance of miscarrying.
“Then it will be a two week wait and I just pray to God everything works out.
“It’s now a waiting game and I’m trying to remain as chill as possible. Cutting out stress when you’re going through IVF is the number one important thing.
“I blog about my journey and I’ve made friends from worldwide as there’s such a strong community out there.
“Anyone else going through the same should reach out to others as it really helps your spirits.”
Dr Geetha Venkat, from The Harley Street Fertility Clinic, said: “We are delighted to have Alex and Nicola as patient and I hope we will be able to help them have a baby.
“I’m extremely impressed at how, despite having suffered such loss themselves, this couple go out of their way to help others come to terms with fertility problems.
“I hope that together we can swap secrecy and stigma for solace and support.”
You can follow Nikki’s IVF journey and .
We previously spoke to a mum who met her sperm donor backpacking in Brazil – and gave birth for the first time at 48.