Breast prostheses: finding a suitable bra

Getting fitted and buying a bra

Finding a suitable bra is very important. If you are buying your bra from a shop, try to arrange to visit when an experienced bra fitter will be available by telephoning in advance for an appointment.

It is a good idea to explain that you have had breast surgery. An experienced fitter will probably have seen women with breast surgery before and may have had specialist training too.

Low cost bras can be suitable as long as they fit well and have the necessary features. Sometimes it can be difficult to find the right size, for example if you need a particularly large or small size.

The fit of the bra

A new bra should fit well on the loosest set of hooks. This means that when it begins to stretch after it has been worn for a while and washed, you can tighten it and still get a good fit.

If you have had a full mastectomy, the bra needs to be a good fit for your natural breast. You will need a bra that is not cut too low, otherwise the top part of the prosthesis will show above the top edge.

If your breasts are different from one another in size or shape, for example after breast conserving surgery, the bra needs to be fitted to the larger breast. If you have a difference in size, one tip is to use a padded bra and adjust the padding on one side.

Alternatively, you can talk to your breast care nurse about having a shell type prosthesis fitted. If you only have a slight difference in shape, you will probably find that a padded/t-shirt type bra will give you a better profile.

If you have had a bilateral mastectomy and you are going to be wearing two prostheses, you can choose the bra cup size you want to be. You will need to adjust the straps so that the bra cups are about halfway between elbow height and your shoulder.

You may have had breast surgery that has left you with little difference in the size or shape of your breasts, and you may not need to wear a prosthesis. However, your breast area will still be sensitive and you may still have difficulty finding a bra that is comfortable. Bras with more elasticity in the fabric, and that do not have wires, may be best.

Suitable bra styles

There are many styles of bra suitable to wear with a prosthesis, including underwired bras, sports bras, and pocketed ‘mastectomy bras'. An underwired bra will probably not be comfortable until the scar area is well healed.

A mastectomy bra has a pocket, sewn in across the back of the cup, into which you can slip the prosthesis, usually from the side. This kind of bra is available in some high street shops or by mail order and is exempt from VAT. To buy it without VAT you will need to fill in a form which catalogues will provide with your order, but you will have to ask in shops for it.

You can also adapt an ordinary bra by sewing in a piece of stretchy material loosely across the back of the cup, or you can have this ‘pocket’ sewn in for a small charge by some mail-order companies or high street shops.

Some hospitals will put a pocket into two or three bras free of charge. If a pocket is too tight, it can spoil the bra’s shape when it is holding the weight of a prosthesis. Another alternative is to sew in two strips of evenly spaced ribbon, top to bottom of the cup.