Hello!

June 4, 2020

70 Comments

Did you know that you should be re-measured for a bra every 6 months?

Fluctuations in hormones, weight or puberty can and will have an effect on your cup size, not to mention that the elastic in your trusty and reliable lacy friend will eventually wear out. With approximately 80% of women wearing the wrong size bra, it’s time to examine what exactly the consequences are and make sure you take care of your breasts.

1. Breast pain

One of the most common side effects of wearing the wrong size is breast pain, particularly if your bra is too small.

 2. Back pain

There are a lot of things that cause back pain, but wearing a bra that is too small will result in pressure on your rib cage and shoulders that you simply won’t be able to fix until you size up. This usually occurs in women with large breast size.

 3. Premature (or excessive) sagging

If you’re constantly wearing a bra that doesn’t provide sufficient support for your breasts, such as a sports bra when exercising, or a bra that is simply too big for you, can stretch the delicate tissue of your breasts prematurely. Instead of lifting it up and keeping in shape, the bra can sag your breasts and make them heavier.

4. Shoulder and neck pain

Oh yes, that pain you feel in your neck, and that chafing on your shoulders? That’s because your bra is too tight for you. Larger cup size bras are typically designed with thicker straps to disperse weight across your shoulder and prevent chafing or indentation.

This strain from shoulder can go up to the neck, which can cause severe pain. It is one of the most common and more serious effects of wearing the wrong bra size.

5. Blocked lymph nodes

Lymphatic vessels are very thin, and they’re easily prone to pressure and compression. Excessive and repeated pressure on the nodes in the breasts (such as from a bra that’s too small) can cause lymph valves and vessels to close. Wearing a bra with a cup size smaller than it should be, causes the failure of the lymph nodes.

6. It can ruin your posture

Wearing the wrong bra size can upset your posture. Pain felt in the shoulder, neck and back tends to make you hunch your shoulders to soothe yourself, which, if allowed to continue, will ruin your posture.

7. It may trigger breast cancer

One of the more severe side-effects of wearing the wrong bra size. In some extreme cases, wearing the wrong bra size can induce breast cancer.

This can happen because a bra that’s too tight will block blood flow to the breasts, which can cause cancer.

8. Skin abrasions

Wearing a bra that’s too small or too tight for your breasts can result in callouses or blisters from the constant rubbing against your skin.

So what can I do about it?

1. Get fitted

Getting fitted is simple and it’s a free service available at most lingerie stores. Don’t worry, you don’t have to get up close and personal with anyone, most assistants will have you try on a bra in a size that you’re currently wearing and evaluate your fit once you have it on.

This is useful if you’re unsure of exactly what to look for, but if you’re a little bit more knowledgable about bra fit, or shopping with a daughter who will barely let you check the fit, observing the telltale signs are a good way to check your fit.

2. Check yourself out

Once you’ve picked out a bra that you really like, it’s important to look for the key indicators of a good fit. Stand with your hands on your hips and turn to the side.

  • You should be able to comfortably fit two fingers between your rib cage and the band. Same goes for the shoulder straps (with no digging in to your skin).
  • You should not have any cup spillage – that is – the top of the cup and your breast should sit perfectly aligned, with no breast tissue spilling from the top (affectionately referred to as the double-boob), or the sides (side-boob).
  • Conversely, there should not be any gaping in the cup.
  • The wire between the cups should sit firmly against your sternum and not away from it.
  • The cups should not be baggy (for non-moulded cups).
  • The underwire (or elastic for non-wired bras) should fit snugly against your ribcage under your breast.

Armed with the knowledge of how important a good bra is, your next shopping trip will be less of a nightmare. We hope.

When was the last time you were fitted for a bra? Share with us in the comments.

We may get commissions for purchases made using links in this post. Learn more.
  • I actually went ot Myers to be fitted a few years ago and in the end gave up. All of the bras that the woman got me to try on were wrong. I ended up going elsewhere and doing it myself.

    Reply

  • I’ve never been fitted as didn’t/don’t know what’s involved.

    Reply

  • The last time I was fitted was many, many years ago and the bras were very expensive. I could only afford one pair and them just went to Kmart or Target to buy them. I could get 4 for the price I’d have to pay for the fitted one.

    Reply

  • I am still not sure finding the correct bra.

    Reply

  • Too many years ago to remember but… going through perimenopause my breasts are enormous and I absolutely need a fitting. I’ve just been buying new bras with bigger cups and sizing, etc. but still not quite right. It’s time!

    Reply

  • I don’t think I’ve ever been fitted…

    Reply

  • I’m not sure there’s even anywhere to get fitted in my town (30,000+ population and services over 100,000)! And what’s the point when stores and makers of bras can’t even stick to standard sizing anyway. I’m not going to get fitted in the capital city and then only buy bras from there.

    Reply

  • I got a bra fitting experience as a part of mine hen night and it was the best thing I did.

    Reply

  • I’d been wearing the wrong size bra for years.
    It wasn’t until I was on my honeymoon 4 years ago that I got fitted! I was in Victoria’s Secret in the states and the girl asked me what bra size I was looking for and when I told her she asked me if I was sure as I looked bigger than the size I said. It was then that she sent me for a fitting and the whole 32 years of my life I’d been wearing a bra two sizes too small.
    I always thought I was rather flat chested but seems I wasn’t as flat as I thought.

    Reply

  • I’ve never been fitted and too embarrassed to as a bigger women

    Reply

  • So need to get fitted! Thanks!

    Reply

  • There is no scientific evidence to support that a bra of any kind, whether fitting or ill-fitting, can cause breast cancer. That should not be included on this list, it is spreading false information.

    Reply

  • I never got fitted until a friend of mine worked at BNT when I was about 19. I was wearing a B cup and I was actually a DD. Oops!!

    Reply

  • I didn’t realise you could trigger breast cancer by wearing too tight a bra.

    Reply

  • I’ve been wearing incorrect bra sizes for years. My mum never took me to get fitted properly and I only did for the first time recently, when pregnant. I will be getting fitted more regularly and taking my daughters to do the same.

    Reply

Post a comment
Add a photo
Your MoM account


Lost your password?

Enter your email and a password below to post your comment and join MoM:

You May Like

Loading…

Looks like this may be blocked by your browser or content filtering.

↥ Back to top

Thanks For Your Star Rating!

Would you like to add a written rating or just a star rating?

Write A Rating Just A Star Rating
Join