Objective: The purpose of this research was to find out the frequency and t
ype of fetal dysmorphism in spontaneous abortions among the Mexican populat
ion Method: A prospective study was carried out in all the cases of spontan
eous miscarriages occurring at the 'Dr. Manuel Gea Gonzalez' General Hospit
al in Mexico City, from July 1989 to June 1999. Result: Two hundred and one
empty sacs and 1555 well-defined embryos or fetuses were analyzed. Dysmorp
hism was observed in 48% of the cases, malformations being the most frequen
tly found. Among malformations the largest group corresponded to morphologi
cal alterations not recognized in the postnatal life, facial clefts and clo
sure defects of the abdominal wall were the known malformations of the post
natal period most frequently found. The most common syndromic entities were
suggestive of bone dysplasia and Turner phenotype. Conclusion: The frequen
cy of fetal dysmorphism in spontaneous abortions is higher than in new born
s. Its diagnosis is very important for genetic counseling. (C) 2001 Interna
tional Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. All rights reserved.