The Mel Robbins Podcast

Leaky Bladder, Pelvic Floor, UTIs, & Constipation: Dr. Rena Malik Gives Solutions To Get Control

Order your copy of The Let Them Theory 👉 https://melrob.co/let-them-theory 👈 The #1 Best Selling Book of 2025 🔥 Discover how much power you truly have. It all begins with two simple words. Let Them. — Today, you are going to learn about something that impacts 40% of women and 30% of men. This topic can be embarrassing and difficult to talk about, but Mel is putting an end to the shame. Mel is opening up for the first time about her decades long struggle with leaky bladder and pelvic floor issues, sharing how they kept her from fully living, and what she did to finally stop suffering. She has invited Dr. Rena Malik, MD, one of the top urologists in the world, to have this important conversation with her, and to give you the specific solutions you need if you struggle with leaky bladder, pelvic floor issues, UTIs, and constipation. Dr. Rena is an absolute powerhouse who is known for her viral, no-shame, straight-to-the-point advice. She’s a top urologist and pelvic surgeon who specializes in female pelvic medicine, reconstructive surgery, and sexual medicine. Her YouTube videos have over 300 million views and she’s published over 100 peer-reviewed research articles, multiple review articles, and book chapters. And today, you’ve got an appointment with her. Join Dr. Rena and Mel for a very personal, open, and solution-filled conversation so you can take control and stop suffering. This episode is so packed with actionable advice that you’ll want to share it with every person in your life who needs this information too. For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page: www.melrobbins.com/podcasts/episode-200 Follow The Mel Robbins Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themelrobbinspodcast I’m just your friend. I am not a licensed therapist, and this podcast is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional. Got it? Good. I’ll see you in the next episode. In this episode: 0:00 Intro 3:45: What’s the difference between “common” and “normal” bladder issues? 5:10: What happened to Mel when she delivered her first child led to shame and embarrassment. 9:15: 8 common signs you’re dealing with a pelvic floor issue. 12:40: Why is there so much shame around a leaky bladder? 14:20: Your pelvic floor, explained. 19:25: This is why your pelvic floor muscles stop working. 20:50: You’ve been doing kegels the wrong way. 21:15: How to test your pelvic floor muscles on your own. 23:55: Why do young women have leaky bladders? 25:05: Are you an athlete? You’re more susceptible to pelvic floor issues. 26:10: Wait on those kegels! If you have this, kegels will make it worse. 27:00: 3 yoga poses that will help you relax your pelvic floor. 27:30: Pain while you pee but there’s no UTI? This might be the cause. 28:05 What you can do if leakage is an issue. 32:50: This is what Mel did when the embarrassment was too much. 33.30: Signs that you have an overactive bladder. 35:50: How does alcohol and coffee impact your bladder health? 37:00: Do this when constipation is a problem. 38:00: Symptoms of urinary tract infections and what to do about it. 39:15: Do this every day and decrease your risk of UTI by 40%! 41:45: Here’s why it’s a red flag if a man gets a UTI. 45:05: Why UTIs are common if you’re sexually active. 44:20: Is it better for men to sit when they pee? 46:10: Why do men have a harder time peeing when they get older? 48:25: 4 things you can manage on your own to help with overactive bladder. 49:55: Can acupuncture help? 51:20: Look for this before you flush the toilet. 52:45: The #1 thing to do when you’re having trouble “down there”. — Follow Mel: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melrobbins/ TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@UCk2U-Oqn7RXf-ydPqfSxG5g Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melrobbins LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melrobbins Website: http://melrobbins.com — Sign up for Mel’s newsletter: https://melrob.co/sign-up-newsletter A note from Mel to you, twice a week, sharing simple, practical ways to build the life you want. — Subscribe to Mel’s channel here: https://www.youtube.com/melrobbins?sub_confirmation=1 — Listen to The Mel Robbins Podcast 🎧 New episodes drop every Monday & Thursday! https://melrob.co/spotify https://melrob.co/applepodcasts https://melrob.co/amazonmusic — Looking for Mel’s books on Amazon? Find them here: The Let Them Theory: https://amzn.to/3IQ21Oe The Let Them Theory Audiobook: https://amzn.to/413SObp The High 5 Habit: https://amzn.to/3fMvfPQ The 5 Second Rule: https://amzn.to/4l54fah

Mel RobbinshostDr. Rena Malikguest

Aug 10, 202455mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Pelvic Floor Secrets: Stop Leaks, UTIs, Constipation, and Take Control

Mel Robbins and urologist Dr. Rena Malik unpack how the pelvic floor—a core set of muscles supporting bladder, bowel, and sexual function—is central to quality of life but widely misunderstood and ignored.
They differentiate what’s common versus truly normal in issues like urinary leakage, overactive bladder, constipation, pelvic pain, and recurrent UTIs, emphasizing that these are treatable medical conditions, not personal failures.
The conversation covers root causes (childbirth, genetics, tight vs. weak muscles, constipation, prostate enlargement, lifestyle factors), practical first-line strategies (pelvic floor physical therapy, Kegels when appropriate, diet, hydration, irritant reduction), and when to seek specialist care.
Overall, the message is that shame keeps people suffering for years, but early evaluation and simple interventions can often prevent surgery, restore function, and dramatically improve confidence and daily life.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Common does not mean normal—and most pelvic floor problems are treatable.

Leaking urine, urgency, constipation, pain with sex, or recurrent UTIs are extremely common but not physiologically “normal.” They usually signal modifiable pelvic floor or related issues that a urologist, urogynecologist, or pelvic floor specialist can address.

Understand your pelvic floor before you try to “strengthen” it.

The pelvic floor is a layered bowl of muscles that support organs, control sphincters, aid stability, orgasm, and lymph flow. Because problems can stem from weakness or excess tightness, self-prescribing Kegels without an evaluation may help, do nothing, or worsen symptoms.

Quality of life is the real threshold for seeking help.

If leaking, urgency, nighttime peeing, pain, or constipation make you avoid activities, alter your social life, or feel ashamed, that alone is reason to see a specialist—even if nothing feels “life-threatening” in the traditional medical sense.

Pelvic floor physical therapy is often the best first-line intervention.

Certified pelvic floor PTs can assess whether your muscles are weak or tight, teach you correct Kegels and relaxation/stretching techniques, and guide safe progressions—often improving symptoms enough to avoid surgery, especially when started early.

Lifestyle tweaks can significantly reduce bladder and UTI problems.

Managing constipation, moderating caffeine and alcohol, quitting smoking, adjusting fluid timing, walking more, increasing fiber, and losing excess weight (around 8% body weight if overweight) can reduce urinary urgency, frequency, leakage, and UTI risk by meaningful margins.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

These things that we're gonna learn about and talk about today are not necessarily normal. They're very common, but they're not necessarily normal.

— Dr. Rena Malik

You don't have to suffer in silence. You don't have to just live with it.

— Dr. Rena Malik

It is extremely devastating, and we just like, 'Oh, everyone leaks a little.' Like, we just sort of brush it off like it's nothing.

— Dr. Rena Malik

My whole fricking life changed once I finally got the sling.

— Mel Robbins

You're worth it and you deserve to take time for yourself to take care of your body.

— Dr. Rena Malik

What the pelvic floor is, how it works, and why it mattersUrinary incontinence, overactive bladder, and when leaking is a problemPelvic floor weakness vs. tightness, childbirth and athletic impactsConstipation, bowel function, and their link to bladder problems and UTIsRecurrent urinary tract infections, prevention strategies, and cranberry supplementsDiagnostic and treatment options: pelvic floor PT, Kegels, pessaries, slings, Botox, nerve stimulationMale pelvic health: prostate enlargement, dribbling, and urination posture

High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.

Get more out of YouTube videos.

High quality summaries for YouTube videos. Accurate transcripts to search & find moments. Powered by ChatGPT & Claude AI.