Bra fitting help » Pain while wearing bra

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Wellfitting » Unicorn Classic Demi » 32K 32:11

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  Very interesting ok... where is the pain in the breast when you've been wearing this? Is it all over inside the mass of the breast, right behind the areola, or is it somewhere round on your side almost?

  Updated on August 11, 2017 Flag this

  
  

  • Behind the left nipple. The center mass of the breast hurts. I get this pain whenever a bra becomes too small, it's how I can tell that they are becoming too small. If it helps, I have the equivalent size 30HH and 28J in various styles and they all give me the same pain. If it is a unlined bra, there ends up being a seam mark over the nipple. The depth on them is all less than 13". That's the only commonality between them.

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    A seam mark is not a problem but it seems to me this one is probably too rounded/flattened at the front and that this compresses the apex. If you sized up in the cup you would have enough room at the apex but it would be too big above and below and possibly on the sides.
    I would recommend looking for bras that allow a lot of depth at the apex.

    Also--although I hate to sound alarming--I would also urge you strongly to just err on the safe side and see your doctor to check this breast is OK, because sharp pain like that is a bit uncommon. More uncommon is the fact that 13" is your completely uncompressed perimeter so sounds like that part of your breast can tolerate almost no compression, which could indicate a health issue. My OB/GYN best friend has always said also that pain that is only on one side and always the same side =get checked out. I hope you just have sensitive tissue but ruling out any non-bra health stuff would probably be cautious! If you are young it's something that might not be on your radar but it's important to think about.

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    I actually just had an exam a couple months ago, they are fine. They're just sensitive. It's their revenge on me for stuffing them in too small a bra for the last 20 years.

    You are recommending that I try this in a 28M? That is still one cup size smaller than I normally wear.

  • No I wouldn't really recommend this one in any size, I think it is too "blunt" in profile if that makes any sense? So with this cup shape, any size that's big enough to quit compressing you to the point of pain, is going to be too big above and below the apex. I would try and figure out exactly what cup shape will leave the apex pretty free of compression on you (this is pretty individual since different boobs have the apex at different heights) and then try and focus on styles with that shape and determine size by trial and error.

    Personally I need a lot of overall projection just for the bra to even fit, because my boobs are pretty dense, "loose" and heavy (mostly glandular tissue with little fat after breastfeeding for forever), but what works for my anatomy specifically is deeper cup shapes that are designed with a pretty high-set apex (so lower boob has a lot of room to just kind of settle and do its thing) and then they will fit well even if other aspects aren't an exact shape match for me. Not saying this is your shape or situation--just an example of the kind of cup characteristics that you might not think of immediately but just discover by trying things on.

  • "Too big below the apex"?

  • Like you will have enough room in the cup for the breast to not be compressed at the apex, but you'll have empty room at the base of the cup (allowing the wires to ride down and/or the breast to just slump down unsupported because the cup is taller than the boob but there's not enough projection at the wire). Does that make more sense?

  • Like in the black Wellfitting demi you posted for example. Empty space above and below the boob.

  • Not completely. Is this something you can feel? My nipple is pressed right up against that 28R bra. No bra ever feels deep enough for me because they come out perpendicular to the chest wall. Are you suggesting that the breast is always supposed to be pulled up into a curve, even if it doesn't naturally follow that shape?

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    No, not at ALL what I'm saying... sorry, I don't seem to be able to get across what I mean...

    Basically I am saying that your breast is a projected shape sort of like this:
    >
    If you have a bra cup that is a rather shallow shape, like this:
    )

    Then you can size up and up and up until that size of the shallow cupped bra DOES offer enough depth for your breast at its most projected point, but obviously the overall volume of that cup is going to be way greater than the volume of your breast. So your boob is going to be floating around in there because you're not filling the base or the top of the cup. It's going to be a fit kind of like this (imagine if the cup was see-through): >)

    This is why we also say that women with super narrow projected boobs usually should avoid bras with very wide wires and shallow (side to side) cups... because they too can size up till they find a size of that bra where they won't quad out due to their projection, but the overall volume of that cup will be much greater than their breast volume because they don't need that much room on the sides, only at the center... hence they will have as much as an extra 3-4" of cup on the side on their body that is not filled.

    Basically all this means is you want a bra whose cup design is a lot closer to your anatomical shape. So if you have short, projected, somewhat conical breasts you want to look for a bra with short, projected and somewhat conical cups (if you want a rounded end to avoid a pointy look, that's ok to look for, but with limited tolerance for compression due to sensitivity, perhaps a pointier appearance is worth the improvement in comfort).

    That's as good as I can do explanation-wise, apologies in advance if I'm failing again...

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    Oh, ok. I get it now. Thank you. Actually my breasts are shaped like tear drops. I think I am running into trouble because the top is the shallow part, and sizing down to make the top fit makes me run into trouble with the bottom.

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    There are cups shaped like that--it can be hard to find them but they are out there! I think first you need to determine how much "roundedness" you can tolerate though (since that implies some compression of the breast). After that is figured out, you can then look for cups which have the most comfortable apex shape in that regard but also match your proportions.

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    I think that this will help illustrate what wendybien was saying about sizing. The Panache Harmony in 30KK (http://www.bratabase.com/browse/panache/harmony-underwired-balconnet-4031/30KK/) is a hilariously poorly designed bra which I had the pleasure of trying a few years ago. While the cup depth is roughly correct, the bra is so wide and shallow it's completely inappropriate for the body shape of anyone in the size range. This is taken to an extreme, but if you have narrow, projected breasts, a cup may be the correct depth for you but just have too much room elsewhere to provide adequate support.

    I'd say in this size range if you're looking for bras with a shallower top, you may be well served by some of the offerings which have a stretch lace piece in the upper cup (examples include Panache Jasmine, and Ewa Michalak's SM and SF lines). These are generally pretty supportive and comfortable, though it may take a little experimentation to figure out your optimal size for a balance between support and comfort.

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    Great suggestions Ereshiy I think she has a Jasmine in her list so not sure if the upper portion has the correct angle for her tissue but she can try

    I STILL REMEMBER THAT HARMONY! omg!!!

  • I liked the Jasmine when it fit... unfortunately it was too shallow and they don't make them in my current size.

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  If you have compressible tissue, I understand the pain and "apparent" fit of too-small bras. Like you, I felt compression in the Comexim half cup until I was in a 60M, but the wings and gore were uncomfortably tall. Additionally, the gore remained too wide.

  Another user with very projected, short-rooted breasts experiences a better fit in the Comexim plunge. Also, Curvy Kate's more center projected bras (http://bra.pe/LFay/ ) are a good fit for her (@cupandahalf). Coincidentally, two of your fitting bras are the more center projected Curvy Kate bras.
  

  Updated on August 12, 2017 Flag this

  
  

  • Since I can't tell these things... where are the top of my roots in those photos?

  • This may help: http://thepetitecollegiate.com/2016/04/21/photo-glossary-bra-fitting-and-breast-shape/

    Until they are well supported, it is difficult to determine.

  • She doesn't cover conical breasts in her article, unfortunately.

  • Can you see the top of your roots when you make a "hand bra" or "two hand bra"?

  • No, just a gradual slope from my collar bone to the nipple.

  • When you use tear drop to describe your breast, is your breast shallow across the top, but full below the nipple?

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    Kind of like person H in this article. http://www.venusianglow.com/2013/03/examples-of-shallow-breasts-nsfw.html

    The lean test from Reddit makes me a 2/5 though.

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    Size down advice is so common among shallow breasts. And, you may have short roots which also often receive size down recommendations because we see an open field in the top.

    Because you've experienced good results with Curvy Kate, the easiest fits are likely the Curvy Kate center projected models. Otherwise, there is trial and error required with Wellfitting/Comexim. But, it may be worth it for a unicorn bra :-) :-) I'd definitely ask for more depth near the wire and reduced cup height.

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