Do bras shrink in wash over time?

[Sundiamond]

It's sounds stupid but I've not put on any weight (that I know of, none of my clothes are tight) and yet my bra, possibly two, feel really tight around the rib cage.

We don't have a dryer. My husband does all the washing. Is there a chance they've shrunk?

Or am I deluding myself and i'm starting to spread?

I doubt if bras are made of shrinkable fabric. Few are pure cotton and I've never seen a woollen one, man made fibres don't shrink.

I usually find that mine get looser the older they get.

Your boobs can certainly change shape as they age!

They normally get looser. When I learned to fit bras we were always told to fit them to the loosest hook so that as they stretched the additional hooks could be used to adjust the fit.

Sorry if that wasn't what you wanted to hear.

I remember not putting on weight but my shape changed - band of fat under my rib cage. Was perimenopausal and it took me cutting out bread and rethinking my diet for it to go

It was horrid, like my waist had disappeared

I'm post menopausal. Maybe there's been a change since I came off HRT. I'll have to inspect later. Ugh.

Ps but my waist is exactly the same. Smaller if anything. That's what's weird.

I agree that they stretch if anything. Have your measurements changed?

Mine get bigger if anything, as they lose some stretch.

I have some that I think have shrunk-they went tight but when I bought new of the same model they are loose.

Yes they do shrink.

Mine feel tight because they got less stretchy. I'm wondering if its the heat in the dryer because I only bought it this year, and its coincided with me using it.

Don't put bras in the dryer. It wrecks the elastic, I tumble dry everything else, but hang them to dry over the tub. The same is true of tights. Use net bags for these; they are also handy for tiny baby socks and such.

We don't have a dryer.

Ironically, coincidentally, it's NATIONAL BRA DAY today.

This thread is capturing the zeitgeist

If things lose stretch the fabric settles on its biggest points - so as if it were on full stretch. So I don't thinks that's it.

My new one has definitely shrunk in the wash.

So, I went into the bra shop I go to and got measured. My bra fits perfectly. I tried on new bras there and they all felt the same. Restrictive. I wonder if its psychological after having worn a bra less while working at home. I do waft around bra less in a kaftan more.

Anyway, now I know if fits properly, maybe it will feel less tight!

I have bras that the bands seem to have lost their stretch and they feel tight. But also, when I started running, I found that I was breathing more deeply as I got fitter. I have ditched all my underwire bras, and bought bra extenders. I use them in lots of bras because they are stretchier than the original bra bands.