A lot of women suffer painful cramp-like lower abdominal pain during their menstrual cycle. A woman may feel sharp pain that comes and goes or have a dull aching pain accompanied by pain in lower back. The medical term for painful menstrual cramps is dysmenorrhoea. There are two general types of dysmenorrhoea. Primary dysmenorrhoea refers to menstrual pain that occurs in otherwise healthy women. This type of pain is not related to any specific problems with the uterus or other pelvic organs. Secondary dysmenorrhoea is menstrual pain that is attributed to an underlying disease or structural abnormality either within or outside the uterus.