How to solve the 13 most common problems with large breasts

Women with large breasts are often thought to be sexy and are envied by other women less-endowed. But extremely large breasts can sometimes cause problems that you don’t recognize as connected to the weight of your breasts. This can lead to years of unnecessary suffering.

By far, the biggest issue with large breasts is physical pain and the most effective solution is to treat the root cause; having breast reduction surgery to reduce the size of your breasts.

But wait! Before you desperately go under the surgeon’s knife, let’s look at some easier and cheaper ways you can deal with the common problems associated with large breasts.

Large breasts can cause physical pain

Women with large breasts tend to slouch due to the weight of their breasts. Over time, this can cause posture problems that lead to neck pain, shoulder and back pain.

Large breasts also accelerate wear and tear on your body. The strain on your back can lead to slipped discs, spinal arthritis and other spine problems earlier than expected.

You might also have breast pain due to the sheer weight of your breasts.

What you can do

• Wear a well-fitting bra with good support. Check out the Natori Pure Luxe Bra on Amazon. It comes in 20 lovely colours and fit breasts up to size 38DDD.
• Use a heat pack on your aching muscles. Check out the Sunbeam King Size Soft Touch Heating Pad from Amazon
• Have a remedial massage
• Attend physiotherapy for muscle exercises and stretches
• Posture exercises. Check out these tips to improve posture for women with large breasts.
• Use simple pain medications like  enteric-coated aspirin  or  acetaminophen  (paracetamol)
• Lose weight if you have excess weight onboard
•  w this video to your partner: A professional massage therapist teaches partners how to massage the upper back and neck.

Large breasts can cause nerve problems

Heavy boobs can cause numbness in your fingers, hands or arms due to compression of nerve pathways in your neck, upper back or shoulders.

Also, as we get older and heavier, our shoulders naturally roll forward. This compresses the nerve fibers in the thoracic outlet causing pins and needles in your arm on the affected side. Read more about thoracic outlet syndrome.

Some women even have numbness in their breasts itself due to their large breast size.

What you can do

• Physiotherapy for exercise programs focused on relieving nerve compression
• Practice posture exercises
• Neuropathic pain medications if you have nerve pain. Read this article by the NHS on treatment for peripheral neuropathy.
• Lose weight if you have excess weight onboard
• Watch this video for some simple breast and posture workouts you can do at home

Large breasts may be the cause of tension headaches and migraines

Large breasts have been implicated in tension headaches and migraines, possibly due to the weight of your breasts on the upper body muscles.

If you have chronic headaches and your doctor is unable to find any reasons for it, your large breasts could be the issue.

What you can do

• Improve your posture
• Use heat packs. Check out this affordable microwavable heating pad from Amazon
• Wear a supportive bra like the Natori Pure Luxe Bra, rated most comfortable by reviewers, comes in 20 beautiful colours and fits up to size 38DDD.
• Use pain medication but bear in mind that this is a ‘band-aid’ and doesn’t actually treat the underlying cause.
• Manage your stress levels. This article talks about some stress management techniques.
• Relax. The Mayo Clinic has some good relaxation tips in this article.
• Live a healthy lifestyle – get enough sleep, stop smoking, eat healthy meals, drink plenty of water, limit alcohol, caffeine and sugar intake.
• Try acupuncture.
• Go for an upper back, shoulder and neck massage.

Large breasts increase your risk of breast cancer

Before you panic, read this article by the NHS (UK). In essence, the article states breast cancer can be caused by multiple factors that increase a person’s risk of developing the cancer. Studies only suggest that there are genetic variations linked to both breast size and breast cancer.

However, some factors associated with large breasts such as higher estrogen levels, increased body weight and a sedentary lifestyle (due to difficulty exercising with large breasts) are also linked to breast cancer.

The best advice in this situation is to be breast aware (as all women should be) and undergo breast cancer screening as recommended.

What you can do

• Regular monthly breast self-examinations
• Regular breast cancer screening
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Live an active lifestyle

Large breasts cause under-boob sweat and rash

Large breasts trap heat and moisture under them, causing chronic abrasions or rash. This can also lead to fungal or bacterial infections. Some women even get cysts in their skin folds.

What you can do

• Wash under your breasts daily (goes without saying but I’m saying it anyway)
• Wear clean bras daily (also goes without saying)
• Wear a bra that wicks moisture or is made of breathable material like cotton and bamboo.
• Wear bra liners (they can also help with pain from your bra underwire. Score!) or mini pads to absorb moisture under the breasts
• Wear loose-fitting clothes made of breathable fabrics such as cotton and linen
• Use unscented soaps, lotions and moisturizers.
• Apply a cool compress to the area below your breasts
• Use calamine lotion for its cooling effect. It also reduces itching.
• Use drying powders such as Gold Bond Extra Strength Powder,Lady Anti Monkey Butt Powder (don’t you love the name?!) or Zeasorb-AF Super Absorbent Powder that also contains miconazole, an anti-fungal treatment.
• Use anti-chafing cream such as Fresh Breasts, a talc-free lotion using oatmeal which goes on as a cream but dries as powder.
• Use anti-chafing deodorant such as the Body Glide Anti-Chafe Balm or the aluminium-free PiperWai Deodorant Stick which uses activated charcoal to absorb moisture.
• Use anti-chafing gel such as the Monistat Care Chafing Relief Powder Gel.
• Use anti-fungal creams such as clotrimazole or miconazole.
• Use corn starch from your pantry.
• Use anti-sweat wipes such as Sweat Block
• Talk to your doctor about anti-sweat medications. Just be mindful that medications tend to come with other side effects.
• Talk to your doctor about Botox which is FDA-approved to treat excessive sweating.

This article lists some home remedies to get rid of rashes under your breasts.

Large breasts cause premature sagging boobs

The most common cause of sagging breasts is aging but larger breasts are more likely to sag earlier.

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with sagging breasts. However, if having sagging breasts affect your self-confidence, read on.

What you can do

• Wear a properly fitted bra for adequate support, especially during exercise. Check out the Panache Women’s Underwired Sports Bra which was touted best for high-impact workouts.
• Do regular chest exercise. This article teaches you 13 breast-firming exercises with video demonstrations.
• Maintain an optimal weight.
• Improve your posture.
• Stop smoking as smoking accelerates aging and reduces collagen, causing breasts to sag earlier.

Large breasts can cause difficulty breathing

Some women with very large breasts have shortness of breath due to the weight of your breast tissue on your chest. You have to work harder to breathe because your breasts are weighing down on your chest muscles and ribs, constricting the natural movement of your diaphragm.

Some women notice difficulty in taking deep breaths as they go about their daily activities and others find their breathing gets more difficult at night when they sleep on their back, due to the effect of gravity on their breasts putting increased pressure on their chest.

In some cases, your breathing difficulties while asleep might be so bad that it causes sleep apnoea.

What you can do

• Do regular breathing exercises to increase your lung capacity.
• Maintain an optimal weight
•  Sleep on your side (more on this later).
• In this case, especially if your large breasts are causing medical issues, breast reduction surgery might be your best bet to alleviate symptoms and prevent further complications. 

Difficulty exercising with big, bouncy breasts

Exercising with large breasts is extremely painful. Any exercise can be difficult but high impact exercises like running and aerobic exercise is downright impossible. However, lack of physical activity can have long-term consequences to your health.

What you can do

• Wear a well-fitting sports bra with excellent support. Check out the Panache Women’s Underwired Sports Bra which was touted best for high-impact workouts.
• Choose the right type of exercise such as yoga, walking and strength-training.

Difficulty sleeping with large breasts

Having big breasts make it hard for you to sleep. In any position. If you’ve ever had to do a swoop and scoop to sleep on your side or went to the beach to dig out a boob-pit so you can sleep on your stomach, you can relate.

What you can do

• Try sleeping on your back with a wedge pillow between your knees. Your breasts wont be trapped underneath you or between your arms. Check out the Contour Legacy Memory Foam Support Pillow on Amazon.
• Sleep on your stomach with a special pillow such as the Elviros Memory Foam Pillow.
• Sleep on your side with a pregnancy pillow. Check out the Bedsure Body Pillow, currently the most popular maternity pillow on Amazon.
• Sleep with a soft sleep bra for support and comfort.

Difficulty breastfeeding with large breasts

Regardless of the size of your breasts, breastfeeding can be challenging for many moms. However, having big breasts can make breastfeeding a very uncomfortable experience between swollen nipples, engorged breasts, mastitis and awkward feeding positions. To top it off, finding bras that fit well is almost impossible.

What you can do

• Be prepared. Take a breastfeeding class while pregnant to learn different positions and holds such as the C-hold.
• Wear a supportive nursing bra. Read my recommendations for the best nursing bras for women with large breasts.
• Wear a nursing top or use a breastfeeding cover for privacy while breastfeeding in public.
• Ask for help. It’s OK to be worried or ask questions. It’s ok to need more support. Contact your local lactation team or breastfeeding support group. See your doctor if you are worried that your baby is not breastfeeding well. Further reading: Breastfeeding with large breasts by the Australian breastfeeding association.

Difficulty finding bras that fit your large breasts and don’t hurt

Do your bra straps leave permanent grooves in your shoulder? Do you get side-boob spillage and nipple spillage?

Your breasts can be painful due to the excess weight, even with a well-fitting underwired bra. Keeping a bra on throughout the day can be excruciating, especially around menstruation.

What you can do

• Measure your bra size correctly for the best fit possible. Read how to determine your bra size and for those of you with pendulous breasts, read this article on measuring pendulous breasts.
• Wear the right type of bras, specifically those with wide straps. Check out the Natori Pure Luxe Bra on Amazon. It comes in 20 lovely colours and fit boobs up to size 38DDD. 

Difficulty finding clothes that fit

You have to wear dresses or tops that are too large for the rest of your body or too small for your breasts. Button down shirts have a gap between the buttons around your breasts. Turtlenecks give you uni-boob. Cross-body bags make you look like you are wearing a seatbelt between your breasts. You pop out of your bathing suit semi-regularly.

Sound familiar?

What you can do

• You can alter your clothes. Buy good quality clothes that will last and spend some extra cash on altering it.
• You can buy custom-fit clothes. Again, it is an expensive option but if you focus on having a few good quality pieces that will last you a long time, it might be worth it.
• Lose weight if you have excess weight on board.

Your large breasts attract unwanted attention

Women with smaller breasts think women with big breasts have it all. But sometimes, having large breasts can attract unwanted attention.

It’s hard to be taken seriously when people can’t stop staring at your breasts. It’s even harder to be told your breasts are distracting, as if you were doing it on purpose.

What you can do

• In a professional setting, dress professionally and cover up your breasts if that helps you feel more comfortable.
• Act professionally and others will treat you the same way.
• Ignore unwanted attention. Remember it’s not your fault and not your responsibility to try not to distract someone.

Your large breasts caused low self-esteem

It’s funny with the world now. No matter what a woman’s body type is or what size her butt or breasts are, she can be made to feel embarrassed or feel that she is too big or too small.

Women with large breasts often remember being made fun of when they were growing up. Many others feel self-conscious about how much their breasts bounce when they walk, no matter how slowly.

What you can do

• Seek help and support. Look for a local women’s support group or a psychologist to help you overcome your low self-esteem. Remember, all body types are beautiful.
• Breast reduction surgery. If you feel there is no other way for you to feel better about yourself, this is an option. However, low self-esteem often stems from deeper down and if that was the case, having breast reduction surgery wouldn’t help your self-confidence magically improve.

To wrap up

There are so many issues that can plaque women with large breasts. But as you read, there are ways to alleviate or prevent some of these problems.

Have I missed anything? Let me know in the comments below.

If you found this article helpful, share it with your friends.

Subscribe to my newsletter for more helpful articles, delivered directly to your mailbox.