Shemane Nugent has spoken about losing a pregnancy and explained why she believes mold in her former home was responsible, in a video she posted on Instagram. The house was once featured on the MTV show Cribs.
Nugent described the circumstances of her ectopic pregnancy and what led her to connect it to her living conditions at the time. She discussed research into how mold can affect fertility and explained why she thinks doctors should have asked about her home environment.
“I had an ectopic pregnancy,” Shemane Nugent said. “And the reason may shock you. It wasn’t my genetics. It wasn’t bad luck. I believe it was my HOUSE.”
“So years ago, I was pregnant, and I started getting these horrible, horrible pains in my stomach, in my abdomen,” she continued. “I remember I was skiing up north with my dad. Rocco was a toddler. He was about five. So it was about five years after I had Rocco. And it got to the point where I was just doubled over in pain, and I had Ted rush me to the hospital.”
“And at the time, nobody asked me, obviously, what was going on,” Nugent added. “We found out that it was a tubal pregnancy, and I lost the baby. Nobody asked me, maybe it was in your house. Maybe there was toxic mold in your house. Because now we’re learning, researchers have found that mold mycotoxins inside the fluid that surrounds a woman’s eggs—that’s how far these mycotoxins can travel.”
“Now scientists are still figuring it out exactly, what it means for fertility in the long term, egg quality and hormones,” she said. “I’m not telling you, I mean, do I know for sure that living in that mold house that was once featured on MTV caused my tubal pregnancy? I personally do, but doctors might say, No, you can’t say for sure. I think it did.”
“Mold toxins have been found INSIDE the fluid surrounding a woman’s eggs. Inside,” Nugent explained. “And nobody asked me about my home. Not one doctor. Not once. It doesn’t stop there. People exposed to mold report brain fog at 5x the rate of everyone else, and 77% report fatigue. Brain. Hormones. Energy. Mold hits all three.”
Nugent shared these thoughts about the loss of her pregnancy and her views on its cause in the social media post.
Shemane Nugent married Ted Nugent in January 1989 and had their son Rocco in July 1990. Before her health crisis, she worked as a fitness instructor starting in 1980 and was named Detroit’s Most Physical Female.
About 15 years ago, the couple’s Michigan home that appeared on MTV Cribs became contaminated with black mold. In 2002, Shemane’s health declined rapidly—she could barely walk up a flight of stairs and went from being an athletic fitness instructor to severely ill. Doctors discovered four different types of mold in her bloodstream and she was diagnosed with pre-emphysema. Ted and Rocco began to show similar symptoms as well.
Shemane recovered her health and her family’s through alternative treatments including acupuncture, vitamin IVs, oxygen, massage, and dietary changes, along with removing toxins from their home such as air fresheners and scented candles. The couple demolished the contaminated home and relocated to Central Texas. In 2022, the Nugents released a documentary called “Killer House” that tells the story of how their dream Michigan home nearly killed Shemane through toxic mold exposure. A book titled “Killer House: Is The Air In Your House Killing You?” was published in 2023, documenting her experience with mold poisoning.
