IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has consented to a medical examination over allegations of serious sexual assault.
Mr Strauss-Kahn, who was arrested in New York, denies charges of attacking and attempting to rape a hotel maid.
His court hearing scheduled for Sunday was postponed until Monday to allow forensic tests to be carried out.
French writer Tristane Banon is considering legal action against Mr Strauss-Kahn for an alleged sexual assault in 2002, her lawyer said.
Ms Banon, 31, claimed Mr Strauss-Kahn attacked her when she went to interview him. She chose not to file suit against him at the time.
Mr Strauss-Kahn, a former finance minister, has until now been considered a frontrunner to be the Socialist candidate for president in 2012.
He had been scheduled to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday in Berlin and then attend an EU finance ministers' meeting in Brussels on Monday on bailouts for Portugal and Greece.
Correspondents say he has been central to efforts to stabilise the finances of struggling eurozone member states and his detention is likely to complicate the process.
The Euro fell half a cent to $1.4063 when Asian markets opened on Monday - a six-week low against the dollar - reflecting concerns about the impact the arrest could have on bailouts plans for Portugal and Greece.
Mr Strauss-Kahn - often referred to in France simply as DSK - was detained at JFK airport on Saturday night as he prepared to fly to Europe.
He is believed to have been in New York on personal business. He does not have diplomatic immunity, a New York police spokesman said.
The 62-year-old was kept overnight in a special unit for sexual harassment in New York's Harlem district. On Sunday he was charged with a "criminal sexual act, unlawful imprisonment, and attempted rape".
Police say the 32-year-old woman who made the allegations has formally identified him in a line-up.
Mr Strauss-Kahn's clothing will be tested for DNA traces