A painful underwire is one of the most common bra complaints I've heard for years. Many women are convinced that they could never feel comfortable in a bra with underwires. The good news is that most of these women are wrong!

In the correct size, an underwire bra should be perfectly comfortable. The underwire should surround the whole breast and lie flat against your side without pinching or poking. If you are spilling out of the sides, the cup is too small.

Don't Let Your Cups Runneth Over

To ensure that your wires sit comfortably you must measure yourself to find your correct bra size. You can see directions for measuring your cup size on our online bra fitting room. Because cup size is harder to measure than the band size, you may have to go up or down a size after trying on your measured size. Don't worry about having a "normal" cup size! It is better to feel comfortable and look fabulous in a bigger cup size than torture yourself in the size you want to be.

After measuring yourself for the correct size, you want to adjust your breasts so that all of your breast tissue is inside of the wire. Here's one way to make sure the ladies are where they should be - after you put on your bra, lean forward and wiggle a little. It sounds silly, but it works! Another method is simply to scoop the breast into the wire with the opposite hand.

Reasons Not to Wear an Underwire

While most women can wear an underwire bra comfortably, there are a few exceptions. If you are definitely wearing the correct size bra, but still have underwire pain, it is possible that you have a high rib cage. Luckily, there are plenty of great wire-free bras available. Our Soft Cup Bras section will help you find a non-underwire bra for every body type. There are also times in a woman's life when non-underwire bras are best. We recommend soft cup bras for pregnant women and women who are undergoing surgery. Some medical conditions, like hiatal hernias, make underwires uncomfortable as well.

More Info for Painful Underwires

Have more questions about underwire bras or proper bra fitting? Feel free to contact us for more help. Ask Linda about your bra fitting problem.