Quote from: AnxietyDisord3r on April 10, 2016, 08:57:19 AM
So, I totally used to do that. The bands are elastic and have a lot of give, yes. However, the bra still doesn't fit and that can cause all kinds of problems (even back pain). There is nothing that compares to a bra that actually fits.

Again, Sears/Penneys only carries middling to crummy quality bras at limited sizes. Stay away. I expect Target and Walmart are the same.

ETA: I only changed my bra game because an assertive friend who worked in retail convinced me to come in. Very dysphoric/embarrassed about bra shopping as you can imagine.

Oh wow! I've personally only done sports bras so I haven't done real bra shopping yet. I will soon though!! Also good to know where not to shop for bras

re: cup size

Just want to pipe up and point out here that many cis women have small cup sizes until they get pregnant for the first time or go on certain versions of the Pill. Think Debra Messing. Certain ethnic groups are more prone to this than others. Sorry, it just bothered me to see larger breast equated to "mature" when that isn't true.

For some reason our society is always changing its standards on the "acceptable" female body and if you go to middling retailers all of the small cup bras are padded/pushup. My wife refuses to wear these. She likes bras from East Asian retailers that are light and easy to wear.

Another trick with bras: you can get band extenders (basically marketed towards women who have gained weight) so if you have an odd band/cup size you can get a smaller band and then use the extender. HTH.

My breasts are growing again and it's a nice change since I'm hoping for a C.  Women in my family were C D DD.  Hugs Shannon

Finding a bra that fits and is comfortable has been difficult for me. I am an A cup but big band. I really don't want to wear forms just to fill out some of my clothes. I found a bra that seems to fit very comfortably and I think looks great under my clothes. The company is Glamorise and it is called the Perfect "A" Bra. It does have padding and the cup fits close to my breast with no gaps. I am not trying to advertise the company just tell you what I found that works for me.

As I move into the next months I hope to gain to a "B" cup, more would be nice but B would be wonderful.

Regards, Heather

Quote from: ChloëAri on April 01, 2016, 12:21:53 AM
Yes! That's normal!

Also remember to wear a properly fitting bra if you wear one. Your band number should correspond to the ribcage measurement (no adding 4") and every letter is one inch (Ex UB of 32 and bust of 36 = 32D). Even way too many cis girls have no idea what bra size they should be wearing, albeit it's not their fault.

That doesn't work for me at all.  My ribcage is 36 and my bust is 42 (removing the fractions of an inch. 

So by one measurement system I am a 36E and by the other I am a 40B.

If I wear a 36E I might fill the cups if I add about six pairs of socks to each side.  If I wear a 40B its band is loose enough to slide right down to my feet.

What actually does fit rather nicely is a 36B which no measurement system accounts for.  So I think the only thing that does work for real is trial and error until one finds a band and cup that is snug but not tight and that is comfortable.

Quote from: Deborah on July 23, 2016, 10:14:27 AM
So I think the only thing that does work for real is trial and error until one finds a band and cup that is snug but not tight and that is comfortable.

Yes, that seems to be the way it is. Plus it's not just the band and cup sizes but also the style of the bra – for me, a full cup 36B has a bit of empty space in the cups and chafes while a demi-cup 36D fits wonderfully. As long as it's made by the right manufacturer, of course...

The things I've had to keep in mind are 1) the rib cage measure, 2) the circumference of the base of my breasts, and 3) the bust measurement. Of these, #1 determines the band size, #2 the cup size, and after that #3 has an effect on the required cut of the bra. Using #3 for cup size (as the standard directions go) can lead to the grapefruit-in-thimble effect (that is, the breast will not fit in the cup, leaving it empty).

Finding a bra that fits is pretty much like finding any other clothes that fit: the sizes give some indication but you really need to try it on.