Evidence of harm caused by breast binding

Thank you. The whole thing is an abuse of children's bodies. There are no good reasons for encouraging girls to be ashamed of their bodies and it's long overdue that adults pushing this at vulnerable teens are held accountable for their actions.

This might have been already Mentioned, apologies if so. Conscription of the chest will result on shallow breathing and lungs will take less oxygen in. This in turn will affect brain irrigation which will cause headaches and dizziness. Shallow breathing will also irritate your throat and you might develop a cough. Your body will arch as you try to accommodate your lungs and breast in a reduced chest cavity and back pain will follow. These are some of the secondary effects discussed and observed with teens that used binders for a period of time.

Amazing.

Lots of teenage boys want to go to the gym and take testosterone because it would increase their social capital and improve mental health. iirc, Sweden a country actually restricts gym membership for under-18s. [Can't find my bookmark for this.]

Middle-aged women in the UK are a substantial cohort who want the freedom to treat their hypothyroidism aligned to international guidelines and with the medications that they prefer (including T3). The NHS doesn't act on that despite their argument it improves mental and physical health.

Fair number of people in the UK can't get the B12 treatment that they need or want. This group argues that lack of treatment can have substantial impacts on physical, cognitive, and emotional wellbeing.

Students/shiftworkers consider they'd have a good case for episodic use of nootropics to help them study or keep them on their feet.

We can't always get what we want.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Mangling the physical body of a young girl and risking causing lifelong medical problems as some sort of “cure” for mental distress should never be an option.

Surely the whole point of a breast binder is that it doesn't fit properly otherwise it would be a bra? Them breasts have to go somewhere, watcha gonna do cut them off??....... oh shit yeah you are aren't you.........

I'm guessing all those Chinese little girls who had their feet bound for cultural cosmetic reasons in history and all the problems it caused their feet. Those binders didn't fit properly either?

We have had PE teachers tell us on previous threads that the girls wearing binders also cannot/find it very difficult to, do sport, particularly in the heat. Considering how activity is supposed to be good for mental health, this is an issue to consider too.

I don’t believe that someone posted on this thread that there no harms with a ‘proper’ binder and that we all just want their to be harms. That has to be a wind up surely.

I hope this is a joke? It's called female genital MUTILATION for a reason.

Compression methods associated with symptoms were commercial binders (20/28), elastic bandages (14/28) and duct tape or plastic wrap (13/28).

To add... Sports tape is not wrapped around the body if used as per my comment above.

And if someone wants to actively damage their healthy body, I suggest that might indicate poor mental health. Like any other form of self harm.

Exactly.

Or assisted calorie counting for an anorexic?

This analogy is used very well (and not overused) in the book that Sue and Marcus Evans wrote on gender dysphoria. I've mentioned this book previously on other threads but worth saying it here too. They are both supporters of an evidence-based approach. IIRC, Marcus said in his Heretics interview recently that he couldn't imagine a viable clinical trial for PBs. I should imagine the same could easily be said for surgeries. It will be interesting to see what comes out of the adult pathway review and the joined up 17-25 year old care. I can't imagine many healthcare professionals will continue advocating for binders, knowing the physical harm that they cause and the near inevitable pathway to surgery.

What @AstonCanKissMyArse said, and would you say the same about self harm with a razor? Or assisted calorie counting for an anorexic?

Agree about the short term fix.

I was discussing social transition with a friend regarding her child, and it's danger of seeing the child on a pathway that is difficult/ impossible to reverse out of.

She said 'but it can help them feel better'. Well yeah, they're are times when drinkng an entire bottle of wine might help me to feel better, in the short term. Doesn't mean it's a good idea, or helpful in the long run.

Binding is similar.

Edit for typos.

Ah that old chestnut "they're going to do it anyway so they might as well be as 'safe' as possible"

🙄

If mental health is a relevant question then proper exploration with a licensed non biased therapist is indicated.

And if someone wants to actively damage their healthy body, I suggest that might indicate poor mental health. Like any other form of self harm.

OP, there are some great links here with evidence.

To add another thought if needed, would the person you need this for consider a sports bra instead?

If no, the next "best" alternative could be sports tape. I discussed this with a medical professional who I trust (who has been on the journey with me supporting my daughter) when my daughter told me that she didn't like sports bras "because people can see the outline of them". He was well aware of the problems with breast binders and that they were harmful. All types. There is no such thing as a safe binder.

We tried the sports tape for a while (even thought I was reluctant, because it is a potential foot on the affirmation pathway) but in the end my daughter concluded that a) she didn't like having to keep replacing it and b) the expense wasn't justified. I had previously put my foot down on "trans tape", her original request as a sports bra alternative, and had explained to her that I wasn't prepared to support anything that was branded and positioned as something that was specifically for flattening breasts in relation to gender identity. It was an incredibly difficult conversation - at her suggestion we booked an appointment with the health professional and he facilitated it - but we worked through it successfully together.

She is now happily using sports bras again. I think it helped that she found out male footballers use them too (to hold heart rate monitors etc), so perhaps it doesn't really matter if people see the ridge of the outline.

Obviously please ignore if it's no help, as I appreciate the ask was for info about harm.

In a nutshell, my approach has been to:
a) recognise that my daughter doesn't like her breasts at the moment and understand how she can feel more comfortable about them
b) draw the line at anything which introduces the idea that her discomfort is a sign that she isn't meant to be a girl. First and foremost, she is an autistic girl who is struggling with her changing body during adolescence, both in regards to the changes that are out of her control and in a sensory aspect. As her mum, I want to support her to feel more comfortable in herself, based on the reality of her body and without introducing any bias.

Flipent I fully agree that mental health should be a factor, hence my approach above. However, I don't see any value in providing a short term fix, which is the start of an affirmation pathway that is most likely to lead to breast amputation. I looked at what was said online in "LGBT communities" about breast binders. The takeaway message was that they hurt and cause all sorts of problems but that's OK because when you're ready for "top surgery" all your problems go away.
There is no evidence to suggest that any of this does actually resolve the underlying mental health issues.... and plenty of growing concern that it does the very opposite.

@Flipent "are you better for telling them not to?"

Given that the study - of a self-selected group who choose to use binders and then self-select to answer a survey about binders - shows that 97% report at least one negative result, yes, I would say it is better to tell someone thinking about starting to not do it.

flipent · Today 14:31

People just wish there was...

No, absolutely nobody here wishes that in any way. It's just that regulars here have seen plenty of evidence, as seen here, to show that it's very near 100% harmful.

I can't work out if you're naïve, or pushing it because of ideology.

What an absolute sack of shit - sorry I'd be more polite if you weren't TELLING WOMEN TO DISFIGURE THEMSELVES FFS

What is a “well fitting” binder? How and where does the user get correctly “fitted” for one?

That study showed 97% of females using breast binder had adverse effects - hardly a positive outcome. Any doctor should be advising against their use.

What sort of help or support to artificially flatten breasts do you think should be given?

Should this support be given to children or just adults?

Who should give this support?

What is the desired result?

What criteria should be in place to decide who gets this support?

That is an online study of adults who self-selected to take part with no control group.

Yes, abnormal lung function is what we all strive for.

https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/docs/librariesprovider323/default-document-library/health-impact-of-chest-binding-among-transgender-adults-a-community-engaged-cross-sectional-study.pdf?sfvrsn=ca1afaba_2

Ultimately, the conclusion here was that the mental health should also be a factor and working with a doctor to do it as safely as possible was recommended.

I don't think anyone should do this because they are told to, but are you better for telling them not to?

According to this study commercial binders were as bad as or worse than DIY methods, and nearly all those surveyed had at least one negative outcome.

https://cabinradio.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Health-impact-of-chest-binding-among-transgender-adults-a-community-engaged-cross-sectional-study.pdf

Over 97% reported at least one of 28 negative outcomes attributed to binding.

Compression methods associated with symptoms were commercial binders (20/28), elastic bandages (14/28) and duct tape or plastic wrap (13/28).