Stephanie sits down with Dr. Robbin Jeffries Hein, Assistant Project Scientist at the University of
California Los Angeles. They discuss the topic of surplus embryos following in vitro fertilization
(IVF) treatment, the options available for their storage, and the growing number of embryos
being stored in the United States today. Additionally, in this discussion, they explore a new
assisted reproductive technology (ART) called in vitro gametogenesis (IVG), which is the process
of making gametes from stem cells.
Curious about a specific topic? Here’s what we cover:
00:20 Introduction to Robbin’s work and research
01:18 Defining surplus embryos
02:23 Options for surplus embryos following IVF treatment
03:42 Navigating the decision-making process of what to do with surplus embryos
07:30 Number of stored embryos today
10:20 Future directions
12:35 A new assisted reproductive technology: In vitro gametogenesis (IVG)
Recent Publications
Hein, R. J., Le Goff, A., & Landecker, H. L. (2025). Making and disposing of life’s ‘starting
materials’: A focus group study of attitudes concerning reproductive scarcity and abundance in
in vitro gametogenesis. Bioethics. Advance online publication.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioet.2025.04.005
Le Goff, A., Jeffries Hein, R., Hart, A. N., Roberson, I., & Landecker, H. L. (2024). Anticipating
in vitro gametogenesis: Hopes and concerns for IVG among diverse stakeholders. Stem Cell
Reports, 19(7), 933–945. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2024.05.002
Dr. Robbin Jeffries Hein
UCLA Institute for Society and Genetics (https://socgen.ucla.edu/people/robbin-jeffries-hein/)
Biography
Robbin Jeffries Hein is an Assistant Project Scientist at the University of California, Los
Angeles. She is a sociologist of science, medicine and technology. Dr. Jeffries Hein specializes
in feminist social science research on the environmental and reproductive politics of health,
developmental models of health and disease, and environmental epigenetics. She is also a
member of the International Biosocial Birth Cohort Research (BBCR) Network.