Can Pamela Chavez Have a Baby With Jay Manuel? What TLC Stars Have Said About Expanding Their Family

TLC’s Jay & Pamela introduced many viewers for the first time to osteogenesis imperfecta type 3, the super-rare genetic disorder stars Jay Manuel and Pamela Chavez were born with. Naturally, fans have many questions about the rare bone condition, including if Jay and Pamela are able to expand their family by having children.

What Is Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type 3?

Osteogenesis imperfecta, known as brittle bone disease, “is an inherited (genetic) bone disorder that is present at birth,” according to John Hopkins Medicine. The disorder is passed through the genes and can be inherited from one or both parents.

Most babies with the condition have a defect of one of two genes, which play a major role in collagen production. This genetic defect leads to a deficiency of collagen, a key component of connective tissue that supports the body, resulting in brittle bones that break easily.

Can People With Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type 3 Have Kids?

People with osteogenesis imperfecta type 3 can have kids, according to the Brittle Bone Society. Women with the disorder are able to carry a child depending on their symptoms. Couples with one person who has OI have a 50% chance of having a child with OI.

That said, Jay identifies as a transgender male, which he announced on the season premiere of their TLC series in March 2025.

“Something a lot of people don’t know about me is I am a transgender man. Once I started to realize that I was actually a guy, was probably somewhere in high school,” Jay explained. “I just didn’t have the words to articulate how I felt. I’ve been out to my family for over five years now and I’m just really grateful that I have, you know, a great partner and my parents are accepting off the bat.”

Jay and Pamela Connected Over Their Rare Condition

Jay and Pamela met online and dated long-distance for a year before Pamela moved in with Jay and his parents.

“Our condition is super rare,” Jay explained during season 1 of Jay & Pamela, which premiered on TLC on March 4, 2025. “My parents were told I wouldn’t make it past 5 years old.”

As for Pamela, she said that doctors gave her “less time” and estimated she would “die before the age of 1 year old.” The pair revealed that between them, they’ve had more than 400 fractures.

“It can be something as simple as rolling out of bed, taking a deep breath,” he explained, to which Pamela admitted, “I literally have a broken rib right now.”

“With osteogenesis imperfecta type 3, it causes fragile bones. So we break easily,” she concluded.

Does Pamela Chavez Want Children With Jay Manuel?

The couple opened up about their future and the possibility of kids in a March 2025 interview with Parade.

“It’s conversations that we’ve had about it and I think again, it’s taking it one day at a time … We’re taking it step by step even though we don’t take any steps,” Jay joked. “But we’re talking it step by step with everything and defining that family unit for us … It’s definitely something that we’ve talked about and discussed.”

Meanwhile, Pamela hinted that babies could possibly be in their future.

“It’s not off the table at all,” Pamela interjected. “It’s an ongoing conversation, and I mean just in general, I mean, parenthood is already a huge responsibility in general … So yeah, I don’t know, there’s a lot of things that I said I would never do and then like, here I am.”

Jay Manuel and Pamela Chavez Get Candid About Their Sex Life

Jay and Pamela opened up about their sex life in a clip from their reality show shared by TLC on Instagram on March 15, 2025.

“How does sex work for a couple that breaks bones so easily?” a producer asked the couple. “Do you have to be extra careful?”

Jay responded, “Careful isn’t even in the room with us when we’re having sex. I thought it would be. I thought we were going to be cautious when having sex, but we just take a risk. Risk it for a biscuit.”

According to Pamela, though, Jay always complains about pain afterward.

“And then the next day, you’re like, ‘My back hurts,’” she joked.

Elsewhere in the show, Jay joked that Pamela is a “freak in the sheets.”

“One time when we had an intimate moment, she threw me against the wall. I was not expecting it. I just want that to be known,” he said. Jay also joked, “If we had a little more privacy, I could fix that scoliosis for you. You know what I’m saying?”

Jay & Pamela airs Tuesday on TLC at 10 p.m. ET