M&S bra size calculator- any good?

[welcometohell]

Has anyone used the M&S online bra size calculator thingy and actually had it give an accurate result? I am desperately in need of new bras as I know my size has changed since having my DS. All my old, pre-pregnancy bras are digging in and really uncomfortable now but I can't get go to a store and get fitted properly due to covid.
I was wearing a 34D and the M&S bra size calculator reckons I should be in a 36E! I'm size 12 and my boobs are not exactly tiny but nothing to write home about...36E sounds like it should be too big.

Anyone know an idiot proof method of measuring and figuring out your own bra size accurately at home. I'm so bloody uncomfortable all the time and going back to work soon so going braless not an option sadly!

Noooo!!

Step away from the calculator.

At size 12 you’re probably a 32 at most. Have a look on here for threads how to measure properly. Never add 4 etc!

M&S is famous on MN for having terrible bra sizing. Use the Booborbust calculator, it’s simple!

But if I'm a 32 then why is the 34 I'm currently wearing feel so tight? Could that be because the cup size is wrong or just a bad bra maybe?

I also desperately need some new bras after losing over a stone in weight. I really need to try them on before buying though. I was hoping I might be able to do that in M&S. Is that still not possible to do?

booborbust.com/

I'm a size 20 and wear a 36 back so no way are you a 36 back at size 12. What are you under and over bust measurements? Whatever you measure under your bust is your back size. Each inch difference between over and under bust measurements gives the cup e.g 1 inch = A, 2 inches = B, 3 inches = C, etc (A, B, C, D, DD, E, F, FF, G, GG, H, HH, J, etc)

yes your cup size is likely to be far too small

Second booborbust site, unless you can get to a Bravissimo

Most likely your cup size is far too small. It's a revelation when you get the right size bra!

I went down 2 band sizes and up 2 cup sizes

IME it isn't just band and cup size but style as well. Literally one M&S style fits me and one Triumph.

Could you try something softer and unwired for this period? Or, order 2/3 sizes and return those that don't fit or are the wrong style?

Bras don't have standard sizing. When I had an in person fitting last year I was everything from a 32 to a 34 and D to an E.

What are you under and over bust measurements?

33. Are you supposed to round up or down?

Sorry, should have said 33 is my under. Will do my over now.

you could try both 32 and 34 back. Depends if you have squidgy bits tbh. What about the other measurement around the fullest part of the bust?

Well is a 34D is digging into you, then you will need a bigger size, either in the cup or back depending on where it's digging in!

Boob or bust gives you an excellent guide on how to measure. But they had my cup size too big. I agree that the type of bra makes a huge difference. I've recently stopped wearing padded bras and found non-padded ones much more comfortable.

39 around the fullest part of the bust.

Years ago I would wear M&S bras but in the last 15 or so years if I have given them a try I have never found one that fitted well. I actually think Debenhams bras are better if you aren't going for a branded, more expensive one.

so around 32E or F or 34DD or E

Thinking about it now it's digging in at the sides (where the top of the underwire is if that makes sense) and in the middle, so the part between my boobs. Which probably means it's more likely to be the cup size than the band that's the issue I guess. I've been up half the night with DS and this is all too technical for my sleep-deprived brain!

Forget any notion of an E cup being big, it's really not if you're a size 12, so likely to have a 28, 30 or 32 back size at most. I'm a size 14 with medium sized breasts and I'm a 32F.

If you post your measurements on here, people will give you a starting point, but it could be anything around those as different styles fit differently and not all styles suit all bodies. You are probably going to have to order quite a lot of bras to get one that fits properly even if it is the right size, as it might not be the right size for you. Can you get to a Bravissimo? Their website says that they are opening again, hopefully to do fittings. They might be more expensive, but you'd be better just getting a couple of properly fitting bras from them, than an armful of badly fitting ones from elsewhere. Or just buy one bra and then look online to see if you can get the same style cheaper elsewhere if you can't afford Bravissimo prices - brastop is a good place to look.

The wire should sit flat between your breasts. If it doesn't the cup is too small

Sorry, cross posted. If M&S bra calculator is coming up with 36E from those measurements, then you might as well be using a random number generator.

Also have a look at the fitting guide on Bravissimo

www.bravissimo.com/bra-fitting-guide/

so around 32E or F or 34DD or E

Bloody hell, those all sound huge! Maybe I just have no concept of what different bra sizes look like. I think I'm going to have to get a few different sizes and styles, try on and return the ones that don't feel right aren't I? Bit of a faff but better than being uncomfortable all the time.

Been reading this aghast! I'm a size 10 generally, sometimes a 12 and I've always worn 34B and in the last few years 34C. Does that mean I'm wearing the wrong size? Always been measured at M&S.

34DD/E is only 1 or 2 cup sizes bigger then you currently wear

32E has the same cup volume as 34DD (same amount of breast tissue but on a different back size)
32F has same cup volume as 34E (again they have same amount of breast tissue but on different back size - known as sister sizes)

I've just checked and there is a Bravissimo near me. It says on the website they are doing "contactless fittings", basically they talk you through the process and you measure yourself by the sound of it.