I have just been for a bra-fitting with the lovely Janice Holmes of Janice Rose Lingerie in Nottinghamshire. I desperately needed to buy some new bras as after my breast augmentation surgery, I only had one bra which was comfortable as it is a stretchy bra that fits many sizes.
Having been on hormone therapy for 4 years, I had some breast-growth, but it it wasn’t much, so before my breast op, I used to wear breast forms over the top of my boobs to create a shape that I felt was in proportion to my torso. 60% of transgender women decide to have breast augmentation surgery due to disappointing breast growth with hormone treatment alone, so I know I am in good company. The aim of my op was to boost my boobs up to the same size that I was used to, but without having to use breast forms anymore. Well it worked! I am so pleased with the results and I now feel I am in proportion up there now. They are not too big and not too small. They are just right.
However, after my surgery, all my bras (apart from the stretchy Sloggi bra) felt too tight around the band, so if I were to guess my new bra size, I would have said that I my band size had gone up and my cup size had increased slightly. Wrong! I was in for a shock when Janice measured me, as my band size had actually decreased slightly (I can only assume it was to do with the hormone treatment), but my cup size had increased significantly. It’s no wonder that my old bras were so uncomfortable to wear. Janice explained that most women overestimate their band size and underestimate their cup size, so that’s why it’s so important to get measured. Also, there are 10 different shapes of bras to fit different breast shapes and sizes vary between brands of bras too. It’s a mammary minefield!
Many transgender women have either had bad experiences in the past of being fitted for a bra (me included) or they are just too frightened to go for a fitting, but Janice’s ethos is “underwear for everyone” and she is supremely supportive of the trans community. She is so professional and welcoming so I know she would put even the most nervous people at their ease. I can’t recommend her highly enough.