It’s strange how often I have heard this question. Yes, I had a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy, and yes, my boobs seem to be growing right before your eyes, but this question is not appropriate for watercooler chat. We’re not that chummy! How would you like it if I asked your wife her bra size? Kind of weird, no? Apparently not. If I had a Dollar …
The times I actually did answer this question, the only measurement I had was the volume in ccs. Unless you’re one of “us,” this don’t mean jack, so after yet another time I fielded this question, I decided to go on a quest and figure out exactly what the magic number was.
How I measured my cup size
A lot of women make an appointment for a fitting by someone who knows what they’re doing (usually Nordstrom lingerie department). I have not yet taken this step, because I’m not completely finished. Off to Google and the FaceBook groups I went. There seem to be a few different ways to do this. One of the ladies in a FB group, who is familiar with the topic, was happy to assist.
Source: Jason Lee, RealSimple.com
Without a top, I first measured the underbust, which is the lower yellow line in the graphic = 29″.
Traditional sizing says to add 4″ if even number or 5″ if odd number. Modern sizing rounds up to the next even number. We went with modern sizing, so that brought me to 30.
Then I measured at the top yellow line, which is the widest part of the bust = 36″.
The math: subtract the underbust from the bust. The difference is what determines size, with each inch representing one cup size. 1 = A, 2 = B, 3 = C, etc.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have our verdict: 30 DDD. Yes, that’s right D D D. I was shocked when we came to this conclusion. I still am. I was not expecting this at all. Having been wearing an A cup bra pre-op, triple Ds just seem ridiculous to me. I never had a number or letter in mind when thinking about reconstruction. I was of the mindset that I would keep expanding until things seemed just right. I hit that point at about 400ccs. Having read a lot of feedback of women feeling that they should’ve gone bigger, I told my plastic surgeon that the sweet spot was 450ccs. Since I’m getting round implants, we overfilled by 100 for a total of 550ccs. It’s at the overfill point that I measure a DDD, so this isn’t the final FINAL verdict. I will get a professional fitting a couple of months after my exchange, once things settle down. Stay tuned!
Here’s an interesting graphic related to cup size. A 30F on me is a 38C on someone with a larger ribcage/underbust. It’s all about body size and proportion.
Saying NOPE to Breast Cancer 
I learnt something new today.. Now I can go bra shopping with measurement ready!!!
Yes! I haven’t yet tested this as far as going shopping and picking up a 30DDD to see how it fits. I imagine bras are like jeans .. the same size across different manufacturers/stores isn’t the same size at all. I’m still planning on getting a professional fitting.
I’d love to hear how this compares to “real world” sizes. Let me know if you try it out, Helen. 🙂
My new boobs kinda settled down a bit after a few months…not as tight…settled… so maybe wait a bit to get fitted? But sometimes it’s hard to 🙂
Yup, I’m going to hold off on the professional fitting. I think it will be purely out of curiosity though. My plan is to never wear a bra again .. well, except a bikini top. A few months, huh? So by the end of the year I should be good. Thanks for the feedback!
Hm. This is interesting information. According to my surgeon, I’d be a C after my implant swap. According to these measurements I’m a 36E in traditional sizing, and after disbelief led me to some more research online (apparently there’s what’s called modern sizing, as well) I’m considered a 32F, as well.
Wow.
But I suspect it’s like Mogatos said in her comment–it’s probably like jean sizing, where sizes themselves are general across the board, but tweaked slightly for each manufacturer’s design.
And I suspect that due to their lack-of-squishability like real breast tissue, implants probably measure larger initially, but their ability to retain their shape means they behave differently once in a bra…
And I’m only 11 weeks post op, so as the Savvy Sister has said, perhaps measurements should wait a bit longer. Regardless, a professional fitting is definitely in order…
And re: people asking about size, I do the same thing you do, Mogatos, I answer in CCs just to baffle people, because maybe then they’d get the point that it’s none of their business?! Ha!
Well, I’m hoping that the silicone implants will still be somewhat squishable. I sure hope so. As long as they are softer than the expanders, I’ll be happy!
Some people never get the point, unfortunately.