It’s impossible not to feel totally girly in a beautiful bra…
But did you know there’s a good chance you are wearing the WRONG size bra?
Don’t feel bad… 80% of bra wearers are too! This includes crossdressers and transgender women – as well as cisgender (genetic) women.
Wearing the correct bra size is critical. Bras that don’t fit right are uncomfortable and look bad under your clothes.
In this blog post, I’ll show you how to find your correct MTF bra size so you can choose the perfect bra for your female transformation.
How to Determine Your Correct Bra Size – Without Breast Forms
Determining your correct bra size begins with a choice: Will you be wearing breast forms with the bra?
In this section, I’ll explain how to find the correct bra size for your ACTUAL breasts (without breast forms). In the section below, I’ll show you how to find the correct bra size if you wear breast forms.
There are several ways to measure your bra size. The method below is simplest way to measure your bra size. This method is used by Victoria’s Secret and most modern bra manufacturers:
Step 1: Measure your band size
Place a tape measure under your arms and measure your chest circumference just above the breasts. The tape measure should be about the level where your bra straps meet the bra.
This measurement is your BAND SIZE. (Note: If the measurement is an odd number, round down to the nearest even number.)
Step 2: Measure your bust size
Stand up tall and measure across the fullest part of your bust. The tape measure should be parallel to the floor and shouldn’t be too tight or too loose.
This is your BUST SIZE. (Note: If the measurement is between inches, round up to the nearest inch.)
Step 3: Calculate your cup size
Subtract your band size (from Step 1) from your bust size (from Step 2) and check the chart below to determine your cup size:
| If The Difference Is: | Your Cup Size Is: |
| 0″-1/2″ (1.3 cm) | AA |
| 1/2″- 1″ (2.6 cm) | A |
| 2″ (5.1 cm) | B |
| 3″ (7.6 cm) | C |
| 4″ (10.2 cm) | D |
| 5″ (12.7 cm) | DD or E |
| 6″ (15.2 cm) | DDD or F |
| 7″ (17.8 cm) | G |
| 8″ (20.3 cm) | H |
| 9” (22.9 cm) | I |
| 10″ (25.4 cm) | J |
For example, if your band size is 40” and your bust size is 44”, the difference is 4”. That would make you a D cup.
Your bra size is a combination of your band size and your cup size. (Bra size = band size + cup size) In this case, your bra size would be a 40D.
IMPORTANT: This size should be considered a starting point, as sizing varies from bra to bra. If possible, try on the actual bra before you buy.
How to Determine Your Correct Bra Size – With Breast Forms
If you wear breast forms, the process for finding your bra size is a bit different. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Measure your band size
(Note: These instructions are the same as above, but I’ll repeat them here.)
Place a tape measure under your arms and measure your chest circumference just above the breasts. The tape measure should be about the level where your bra straps meet the bra.
This measurement is your BAND SIZE. (Note: If the measurement is an odd number, round down to the nearest even number.)
Step 2: Determine your ideal cup size
The next step is to determine the cup size you want to achieve. This should be a size that’s proportionate to your body: Not too big and not too small.
Generally speaking, the larger your body frame is, the larger your cup size should be.
Here are some guidelines:
- Choose an B or C cup if you have a small frame.
- Choose a C or D cup if you have a medium frame.
- Choose a D cup or larger if you have a large frame.
Once you know your correct band size and desired cup size, you can purchase the proper bra and breast forms.
Easy right? 🙂
Finding A Bra That Fits
Knowing your correct bra size is one thing. Actually FINDING that bra is another.
Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to find bras outside the standard size range.
Here are some sites that carry a large range of bra sizes:
- Barenecessities.com – Bare Necessities offers a huge selection of bras, including plus size bras with smaller cup sizes. (Perfect for girls who don’t wear breast forms.)
- HerRoom.com – Her Room is another large lingerie site that stocks hard to find sizes. They offer band sizes up to 58, so there’s a bra for almost everybody.
- BiggerBras.com – BiggerBras.com specializes in plus size bras and carries a large range of cup sizes.
Another option is to purchase a bra extender. A bra extender is an elasticized piece of fabric that hooks onto the back of your bra. It can add 1-3 inches to the bra band, so it’s a great solution for bras that are too tight.
So there you are, girlfriend! Everything you need to know about finding your correct bra size.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Please leave me your comments below. And if you have any beautiful bra pics, don’t forget to include them!
Love,
Lucille
P.S. Looking for a natural way to fill out your bra? Check out The Flat to Femme Program to discover an effective and proven approach to male to female breast enhancement.
Lucille, as some others have pointed out, different brands
also have different cup contour even though the same size.
I have 16 “B” cup in padded, lace & full cup bra, yet the fit
to my boobs are different.
It is not just the chest size with a male person which is usually larger than with a Genetic and morphological Girl but also the shoulders. This often means that I need to get my bra straps extended as they often are not extendible enough for me.
I wear 2 breast form sizes, one for a 44 A cup which although very difficult to find I have 3 such bra sizes and others in 44 B or the equivalent whereby I wear larger breast forms which do not look too large for my chest but I am reluctant to wear them in public as I feel my hip size is not wide enough. There is such a thing as hip pads but they never look any good in my experience. I also wish my waist were lesser although I am not really fat.
hi love what can i do to groue my boobs as i live in nz xxx linda
I agree, it´s difficult to find the correct size of bra. But besides all what’s said, I have to include another reason that contributes to getting the wrong bra: different brands make different bra’s sizes even if they tag them with the same size.
This is what happened to me: I started with a 38B and found it were too tight, then I tried a couple 40B’s and they fitted perfectly. So I decided that 40B is my size and bought another couple 40B’s. The fitted well, but cup was a bit larger than my actual breast. Some time after that, I bought a single 40B (different brand than the others) and it was tight, I had to use an extender. Nowadays, I don’t use the extender, since I’ve been loosing weight and the band fits good, but the cups now feel a lot larger than before. As reference, the other ones still fit perfectly even after loosing weight.
My point is, even when you had determined your bra size, you still have to look for the differences between brands and choose on a case by case basis, rendering the bra size as a mere guide for deciding the correct bra.
Anyway, thanks for the new tips!
“Cassandrs”…You Are “One Hot, Sexy, Pretty Girl”…”I Just Love Your Bra”…Your Red Lips Are “So Hot and Sexy” !
Cassandra has hit the nail on the head for me even down to the sizing. I have several bra’s of different manufacturers, some fit reasonably well and like Cassandra the cups can be a little too generous.
I think I will pluck up the courage to go for a professional fitting.
Thanks for a great article.
Love Heather
Lucille,
I want you to know how much I truly appreciate your excellent work and that I am ever so very grateful for your service to the Transgender Community. So then, I am hoping that you could perhaps kindly explain what you mean in this article when you use the term “genetic women”? (as in – “Don’t feel bad – 80% of genetic women are [wearing the wrong bra] too!”) I’m fairly certain ALL living beings are “genetic” (meaning their biology is made-up of genes). Are they not?
Did you actually intend to imply that only women who were labeled as female at birth (based solely upon the visible appearance of their genitals) are “genetic women”?
Or perhaps you still believe in the outdated science from early in the last century, which promulgated the idea that there are distinct binary differences between men and women, which can be boiled-down to a simple 46 XX vs. XY chromosomal karyotype? However, Just in case you’re not aware, that gender-binary driven concept has been flatly dis-proven a long time ago. In fact, there are indeed fully functional XX men as well as XY women (and several other variables as well), many of whom live perfectly normal lives, fully functioning within in a gender role seemingly different than their chromosomal karyotype may imply. Many of these same people even bring children into this world through natural, sexual procreation within that gender role…
Perhaps you were referring to women who are born with a uterus, a cervix, ovaries, etc..? So then, does that mean that in your eyes, if one of these same women were to have a hysterectomy, she would no longer be a “genetic woman”? I seriously doubt that’s what you meant to imply…
The fact of the matter is, whether it was intentional or not, what you said was a surprisingly uninformed slur. I’m a bit bewildered that someone who makes their livelihood through serving the MtF Transgender Community would make such an insensitive faux pas.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time I’ve observed your use of the term “genetic women” and sadly, I doubt it will be the last time… Never-the-less, I felt that it’s about time that someone should point out to you that the term “genetic women” de-humanizes those of us who identify as female, but whom you don’t seem to recognize as being part of the “genetic” club. It implies that we are somehow not “real”, or that we are otherwise in-authentic… By-the-way this applies to the terms: “real women”, “natural-born women”, “natal women”, and a host of other such terms, which I‘ve observed within your writings as well…
I do realize that those terms are also unwittingly used by many of your patrons. However, as a professional, I believe you should be held to a higher standard. You ought to be setting the example for a better understanding of gender variances, rather than following the lead of the ill-informed… Therefore, I suggest that a more appropriate way of making the comparison, which you were after within your article, would have been quite effectively accomplished by using the term, cisgender women, or cis-women. These terms are quite well known and very easily understood within the Trans Community. These terms are also super easy to find throughout the internet. Therefore if someone were to encounter them for the first time without being familiar with the definition, they would easily be able to infer what is meant based on the context, or they could easily look-up the term using any internet search engine.
Again, I want to convey my abiding appreciation for your service to the Trans Community. What you do is invaluable. However, sometimes things can be said, which although they are not intended to be hurtful in any way, they just simply are, due to the un-avoidable implications behind those words… I appreciate your time and consideration and I wish you every success in what you do.
Warm Regards,
~ Gina Nielson
Gina
You certainly have delineated the problem quite well as to the correct term to use when referring to the transgender population and I appreciate that. But I don’t want Lucille to feel as though she isn’t sensitive to this matter, because she has been a shining light to our community for years. It takes time for many to adjust to the terminology, but I think your bringing this up is appropriate at this time. I still get responses from people in my community that are well meaning but probably realize after their faux pas responding to me that they should have been more aware at the specific time and that can raise my hackles somewhat. I leave it to those people to think about what they have said to them. It is not my place to correct them publicly. So I praise Lucille for her service to us with all my heart and hope that she isn’t offended.
Hi Lucille,
Vow ur article is so mind blowing and iy is so useful 2 me as transgender woman. Now days i take female hormone to transfer my self into beautiful female.
Really to be female is so romantic and cool.
As a girl i can wear lot of dress nd do nice make up and pass my time in seeing me in mirror.
My love 2 all my girl. We all are one. Right my cute and cute friend.
Warm hug 2 u.
Ur Miss Lucy
I have tried that method and it went very wrong for me and I kept getting dysphoric about my breasts etc. I go with a deferent method that’s more create witch is the method Nordstrom uses I measure under my bust making sour the tape measure is even and not to low that gives the band measurement that gives me 32” if I do the method listed above I get 34” witch the back band should only stretch 2” away from your body so over time the band will stretch and be able to use it longer and when I measure my bust witch I did today and witch is the method Nordstrom uses I get 35 1/2” witch makes me fit in a small 32C if I go up a cup size do to the half an inch difference the bra wont fit do to the shape of my breasts I don’t have much breast tissue on top of them witch there still growing and trying to get there I’m just bottom heavy is all I don’t like Victoria secrets method I didn’t have a very good experience with bras because of it I was in the wrong size for about a year and a half because of it entail I did a bunch of research and learned the method I use and went to Nordstrom and had a sizing dune back in march and got a new correct fitting bra witch made me happy and now I don’t have much issues with my breasts I don’t get dysphoric from them any more it was a bra issue’ bras like full figure and similar styles I don’t fit in only styles that are in like the demi, corselet and some but not all balconnet fit me the best do to my shape and that I have more bottom tissue and I don’t have cleavage do to my breasts have a gap in-between them they are spared apart no cleavage at all.
This method does not work for me it always puts me in a band size that is to big. I like mesuring under bust and what ever number it is is your band size. Then do the bust as normal. I’m a 32G seance gaining weight and breast growth seance my gender Confirming surgery.
I started getting bras from Adore because they have my size that actually fits my shape and fullness.
A bra that fits is the most accurate bra calculator out there I have found.
Because a male chest and rib cage are typically wider than a GG’s, I find it best to measure for the band as a starting point, and by trial and error find a band that fits snugly on the loosest set of hooks. Then, determine your cup size by trial and error, being especially attentive where the underwire lays near or under your arm, to ensure all your breast tissue is captured into the cup. All this is best done by getting a fitting by a professional at a boutique. There’s a world of difference between being “fitted” than simply “measured” which is what you get at most chain retail stores, where they really often don’t know how to fit other than GGs properly.