How do you know if your bra doesn't fit properly?

Plenty of woman across the UK are wearing the wrong size bra.

Your bust size changes over time due to such things as lifestyle, pregnancy, age and monthly cycle. If you swim a lot or take other exercise your bust will be affected.

The breast is made up of two main types of tissue:

glandular tissue - the lobules and ducts of the breast
stromal tissue - the fatty tissue and supporting ligaments

Changes in size are due to natural variation but many women don't consider changes and continue buying and wearing the same size bra for years.

Bras can also stretch by as much as 4 inches across the back over as little time as 9-12 months so what was the perfect fit then, may well be nowhere near the perfect fit now! So its a good idea to buy a new bra every so often or at least check your bra fits you as well as when it was new. If your bra is sliding up your back then you need to tighten the fastening and if you've reached the narrowest fastening then you need a new bra.

Classic tell tale signs your bra doesn't fit

Good Fitting Bra
1. The breasts are smoothly enclosed in cups with no bulging
2. The front of the bra lies flat across your body
3. The bra is firm but not tight and leaves no red marks on your body

Bad fitting bra - see our page on how to spot a badly fitting bra

What do you need to measure?

1) The Band Size - a measurement taken just below the bust around the ribs which is quoted in inches.
2) The Cup Size - a measurement of the fullness of the breasts, quoted in letters.

Measure the band size first - For your band size grab a tape measure, and measure in centimetres or inches right around your torso, placing the measure just under your bust at the front and making sure the tape measure is flat and straight across your back. Pull the tape measure tight to ensure an accurate measurement.

For your cup size repeat the measurement but this time measure across the fullest part of your breasts at the front. And this time, make sure the tape measure is very loose. In fact, when the tape measure slips off the bust this is the figure you require.
Figleaves have a page to tell you what the right size is

There are several high street stores which offer a bra measuring service if you want to get measured professionally, but you can measure yourself perfectly well at home if you have a good tape measure. Don't use a tape measure which has been stretched!

International bra size comparison

Bras - Band sizes

Bras - Cup sizes