Alex Reid and his fiancee Nikki Manashe are expecting twins, Web can exclusively reveal.
The ex-MMA fighter, 47, and influencer Nikki, 36, who welcomed their daughter Anastasia in 2021 after a seven-year IVF battle, say they can’t believe they are expecting fraternal twins.
Nikki, who is now 13 weeks pregnant, spoke candidly with us about her pregnancy journey – from the doctors saying “You won’t be able to have children” to her upcoming mother of three.
Happy Birthday: Alex Reid and his fiancee Nikki Manashe are expecting twins, Web can exclusively reveal (pictured with daughter Anastasia)
Nikki, who calls herself “The IVF Mama”, had two embryos implanted – one seven years old and another from her IVF cycle when she became pregnant with her daughter.
Not knowing the quality of the seven-year-old embryo, the doctors decided to use both – and to the delight of Nikki and Alex, they were told they were expecting twins.
From the moment they found out, Nikki says, “It’s crazy that a woman who was told, ‘You probably won’t be able to have children’ and who had fertility issues, is now going to be a mom to three.
“To be honest, we were absolutely shocked. I know people will say, “Well, how can you be shocked that you’ve had embryos implanted?” but Anastasia was also a twin and we lost her twin very early in the pregnancy.
Good news: The ex-MMA fighter, 47, and influencer Nikki, 36, who welcomed their daughter Anastasia in 2021 after a seven-year IVF battle, say they can’t believe they are expecting a fraternal twin
Overjoyed: Nikki, who calls herself ‘The IVF Mama’, had two embryos implanted – one aged seven and one left over from her IVF cycle when she became pregnant with her daughter
“It’s still at the very beginning, everything is going so perfectly. Both healthy, growing as they should be. We’re super, super excited and we’re going to have a crazy busy household.
Nikki, who has enlisted the services of Harley Street Fertility Clinic, calls her pregnancy a “beautiful struggle.”
Before IVF, Nikki almost died when she suffered an ectopic pregnancy. Doctors had to perform emergency surgery and remove her fallopian tube.
Family: Not knowing the quality of the seven-year-old embryo, the doctors decided to use both – and to the delight of Nikki and Alex, they were told they were expecting twins
Nikki said, “It’s crazy that a woman who was told, ‘You probably won’t be able to have children’ and had fertility issues, is now going to be a mother of three.”
The couple then began their IVF journey. Nikki was able to get pregnant but tragically suffered six miscarriages.
She reflects, “I had the most horrible PTSD. In some places I didn’t leave the house. It’s in my bones to be a mother.
“I’m so motherly. So much loss from my mother and all those miscarriages. It was such a dark, sad place.
Family: “To be honest, we were absolutely shocked,” Nikki said when she found out they were having twins
Overjoyed: Nikki and Alex pictured shortly after the birth of their daughter Dr. Venkat
Exciting: Dr. Venkat implanted an embryo from the IVF cycle that gave birth to her daughter Anastasia (pictured) and a seven-year-old embryo – now the couple are expecting twins
“I lost hope, but there was something inside me that was like, ‘Don’t give up, keep going, you made it.'”
Nikki then went to Dr. Venkat at Harley Street Fertility Clinic, where she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and, with the right medication, was able to become a mother.
Nikki says her first trimester was “terrible” because she was on heavy steroids and autoimmune suppressing drugs to get her babies turning.
“Your body is exhausted because you’re carrying multiples in your stomach, it’s exhausting,” she says.
“It’s in my bones to be a mom”: Nikki was able to conceive but tragically suffered six miscarriages before conceiving Anastasia
“I had two to four sleeps, a daughter who was teething, morning sickness and heartburn. It wasn’t great.’
Looking ahead, Nikki says she plans to get gender reveal cakes.
Alex, who was previously married to Katie Price, is father to daughter Dolly, eight, from his previous relationship with Chantelle Houghton.
When asked if they hope to have a boy, Nikki says, “I’m happy with whatever God gives me. As long as they are healthy, everything matters.’
- Nikki writes a blog called www.theivfmama.com where she describes her journey to help others.
Can’t wait: After the birth of his daughter, Alex shared a snap carrying her home from the hospital and wrote: “Baby coming home”.
HOW DOES IVF WORK?
In vitro fertilization, known as IVF, is a medical procedure in which a woman has an already fertilized egg placed in her uterus to become pregnant.
It is used when couples are unable to conceive naturally and a sperm and egg are removed from their bodies and combined in a laboratory before the embryo is placed in the woman.
Once the embryo is in the womb, the pregnancy should proceed normally.
The procedure can be performed using eggs and sperm from a couple or from donors.
Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommend that IVF should be offered under the NHS to women under the age of 43 who have been trying to conceive through regular unprotected sex for the past two years.
People can also pay for IVF privately, which costs an average of £3,348 for a single cycle, according to figures published in January 2018, and there is no guarantee of success.
According to the NHS, success rates for women under 35 are around 29 per cent, with the chance of a successful cycle decreasing with age.
It is believed that around eight million babies have been born as a result of IVF since the very first case, British Louise Brown, was born in 1978.
chances of success
The success rate of IVF depends on the age of the woman being treated and the cause of infertility (if known).
Younger women are more likely to have a successful pregnancy.
IVF is not usually recommended for women over the age of 42 because the chances of a successful pregnancy are considered too low.
Between 2014 and 2016, the percentage of IVF treatments that resulted in a live birth was:
29 percent for women under 35
23 percent for women aged 35 to 37
15 percent for women aged 38 to 39
9 percent for women aged 40 to 42
3 percent for women aged 43 to 44
2 percent for women over 44