MODEL RELEASED. Menstrual pain. Woman holding a hot water bottle to her lower abdomen to alleviate painful menstruation. Lower abdominal and pelvic pain, known as dysmenorrhoea, may occur before or during a menstrual period. During menstruation, strong uterine contractions cause the menstrual discharge to be expelled. At ovulation, abdominal pain may be felt when an egg is forcibly expelled from an ovary.