Understanding bra sizes

[Katie]

Bra sizing is a confusing mess, I must admit. In spite of having done well in calculus, trigonometry, and differential equation classes, and working with some of the most advanced technologies available, bra sizing has been baffling to me.

During My Trip Up North, I got my first proper bra. Up to now I have been wearing sports bras and bralettes sized in S, M, L, etc. type sizes, so I have never known what my actual bra size was. I’m officially a 40B. My wife is a 36B.

My wife is a B cup, and I am a B cup, and yet my breasts are lager than hers. Confusing, right?

I found this helpful guide to bra sizing. It’s one of the better explanations I have seen.

 

[Lexxi]

Hey Katie that's fantastic!! Does it feel good having a properly fitted bra?

I'm still wearing padded sports bras. Those just seem to work out well for me, especially since I work out nearly every day. Of course I'm still not all that big compared to the size of my chest/rib cage. I think I'd probably have to have size F breasts for them to fit appropriately on my gigantic chest, lol.

I'm still growing quite a bit, so maybe I'll end up looking natural one of these days. You already look very feminine and natural by the way.

 

[Katie]

@Lexxi I doubt that you really need F cup breasts to look proportional. Do you know what your band/underbust size is? My band size is 40, with B cup. As far as I can tell, I look proportional. Remember that cup size volume goes up with band size. A B cup on a 40 band size looks just as proportional as a B cup on a 34 band size.

 

[Lexxi]

My band size is 46" (under my breasts) and my bust is 49" (right across my nipples). Which should make me a 46C and there's NO WAY I can even come close to filling a C cup bra. I know that for a fact because I bought one and it barely even touches my boobs when I have it on. lol

Now it might make a huge difference if I had another person doing the measuring...you might know how hard it is to properly measure yourself. So that could have something to do with it too.

 

[Katie]

@Lexxi Yeah, that old rule of 1" per cup size is way inaccurate. The difference between my underbust size and my bust size is 6", but I am a B cup. I think a big part of the inaccuracy is that you and I are probably Tanner 3 or at best Tanner 4. I know that mine stick out very far but don't have a lot of side to side volume (think of Dr. Powers' description of "cone boobs"). I am guessing for cis women, whose breasts grow along with their rib cage and also have natural progesterone and other stuff making their breasts the right shape from an early age, the 1" per cup rule might work.

Trans women who transition later in life seem to get the forward projection (pointiness) before the volume.

A B cup is pretty big on a 40 band. If could, I would show you the size of the cups in my new bra. I am honestly surprised that I fill them. I would think in a 46 band size you would be A or less.

Just be patient and let the hormones do their thing. You have a long time to go yet before you have achieved all of the growth that you will get.

 

[Lexxi]

I totally agree with everything you said. Even though I've been on hormones for a year now, mine are just now starting to really grow. I added in some estradiol pills to my regular regimen for 10 days a month and that has worked wonders on my growth. I'm beyond happy with the way they're growing now. Dr. Powers sure knows what he's talking about with that whole estrone thing and stalled growth.

 

[Linde]

Because Dr. Schlei did see Katie's bra free boobs for measurement purposes, I would say that Katie is about Tanner 4 heading for Tanner 5.

The 40 B bra packs as much breast volume (and that s what bra cups are, volume containers) as does a 36 D size bra. The boobs on larger chests seem to be less in size, because they cover more of the width of the chest. I am a 40 C, and Katie is not far behind me. She might become a big boobs lady.

Hugs
Linde

 

[Katie]

You could be right, @Linde . Large breasts run on both sides of my family and my sister is 38DD. I guess it's a good problem to have for a trans woman, but it has turned out to be more than I ever expected. I figured I would be one of those people who needs every cosmetic surgery under the sun plus ten pounds of cosmetics to get by as a woman.

 

[Denise s.]

I actually went for a new bra fitting ots been 30 years since my last sizing and I'm a 46c in a few bra brands a 48c in others and some brands at a 46 D .so depending on the brands they can be different . That's just my findings

 

[Linde]

I actually went for a new bra fitting ots been 30 years since my last sizing and I'm a 46c in a few bra brands a 48c in others and some brands at a 46 D .so depending on the brands they can be different . That's just my findings

Bra sizing is a mystery that has not been resolved, not by cis females, not by intersex females, and not by trans females. The only way it works is try on every bra you think you like. And if you don't cry of pain while doing so, you found a decent one!

Linde

 

[Denise s.]

Bra sizing is a mystery that has not been resolved, not by cis females, not by intersex females, and not by trans females. The only way it works is try on every bra you think you like. And if you don't cry of pain while doing so, you found a decent one!

Linde

Linde you are correct and I'm a firm believer that men designed the sizing system to drive us women crazy. After all dress sizes are 2,4,6,8,etc, are 4,5,6,7 etc,then s,m,l, then the bras are 34,c,36b,32d and the shoes are 2 sizes smaller then men's I think is enough for us women to be pissed at men ,lol

 

[Linde]

Linde you are correct and I'm a firm believer that men designed the sizing system to drive us women crazy. After all dress sizes are 2,4,6,8,etc, are 4,5,6,7 etc,then s,m,l, then the bras are 34,c,36b,32d and the shoes are 2 sizes smaller then men's I think is enough for us women to be pissed at men ,lol

I read that bras were invented by a man, and that is why some of them are pure torture devices.
But men are not all evil. They have some features that I really enjoy.

Linde