Advertisement

Fertility doctor arrested in Italy after woman says eggs stolen

Italian gynecologist Severino Antinori holds a press conference in May of 2002. GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images

ROME – A fertility doctor is under house arrest in Italy after a Spanish nurse told authorities some of her eggs were surgically removed without her consent at his clinic.

On Friday, Severino Antinori was taken into custody by police in Rome.

READ MORE: Woman in her 70s gives birth to healthy baby boy following IVF

Breaking news from Canada and around the world sent to your email, as it happens.

Authorities say the nurse, who had gone to Antinori’s Milan clinic to explore job prospects, told investigators she was forcefully held, given anesthesia and had eggs removed after hormone treatment for an ovarian cyst.

On a TV show last month, Antinori denied that any eggs were taken from the woman without consent.

READ MORE: When is the best age for women to have children? Study claims to have the answers

Police have sequestered several embryos at the clinic to determine if they were created with the woman’s eggs.

Story continues below advertisement

Antinori made headlines in 1994 when a 63-year-old post-menopausal patient gave birth after the implantation of an embryo using donated eggs.

Sponsored content

AdChoices