No bra blues

[lilcuddlymouse]

I've only been on hormones for just about 3 weeks and the nipple sensitivity/pain is already torture. I'm not allowed to wear a bra at work and we work out 3 times a week as a group. The issue I've discovered nearly a week ago when the sensitivity started is that things like jumping jacks cause considerable friction against my chest that I never noticed before and now that cotton feels like sand paper. Anyone have any ideas for reducing this discomfort that wouldn't show through a t-shirt? I've kind of been thinking of using tape, but I imagine removing the tape would probably hurt more then just suffering through a couple hours 3 times a week. Maybe the pain will motivate me to come out at work sooner rather than later, but I've yet figured out a way to do that with 300+ people without feeling overly anxious about it.

[Dena]

Not an original idea as I saw it in another thread but breast petals are designed to do exactly that. In addition they seem to be available most anywhere.

[RobynTx]

Try a loose spandex shirt.  Or a cami.

[SadieBlake]

Huh? Not allowed to wear a bra? That certainly wouldn't be an enforceable work rule in the US. Certainly laboratories and manufacturing floors etc may disallow shorts or dresses for safety or clean room reasons safety should always dictate that long hair be tied down or covered around machinery, again for safety, likewise jewelry may be unsafe in some work environments.

Anyhow back when I was regularly running longer distances I envied women the use of sports bras. That was before I was taking hormones but I soon learned that cotton could cause nipple chafe in even a couple of miles and the lowest friction gear would still likely involve some nipple bleeding as I got up over 10 miles.

If you can't argue the point of wearing a bra, then changing into a running shirt for exercise would help as would band-aids or similar over nipples -- lots of marathon runners use these.

[RobynTx]

Huh? Not allowed to wear a bra? That certainly wouldn't be an enforceable work rule in the US. Certainly laboratories and manufacturing floors etc may disallow shorts or dresses for safety or clean room reasons safety should always dictate that long hair be tied down or covered around machinery, again for safety, likewise jewelry may be unsafe in some work environments.

Anyhow back when I was regularly running longer distances I envied women the use of sports bras. That was before I was taking hormones but I soon learned that cotton could cause nipple chafe in even a couple of miles and the lowest friction gear would still likely involve some nipple bleeding as I got up over 10 miles.

If you can't argue the point of wearing a bra, then changing into a running shirt for exercise would help as would band-aids or similar over nipples -- lots of marathon runners use these.

It could be that no one at her place of employment knows she is transgender.

[lilcuddlymouse]

It could be that no one at her place of employment knows she is transgender.

I'm in the military. While it's still allowed to transition there's a LOT of rules. I can't do RLE at work until my gender marker is changed in my records which requires me to first get it changed on my birth certificate and/or driver's license, and/or court order and I can't do any surgeries for at least a year. I also have to meet all the male fitness standards until then. I still haven't come out to anyone but my boss, but I really can't figure out a good way to come out to 300+ people when you've already heard considerable anti-transgender views from many of them when it was first made legal to transition in the military. It's surprising the things you hear when people assume you think just like them. I might have to look into the breast petal idea and see if it's obvious under my workout uniform.

[Deborah]

The easiest thing to do is use bandaids over the nipples.  That's what runners do when they have a chafing issue.  Otherwise you end up with two blood streaks on your shirt.


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