I have to admit that only recently was I actually professionally fitted for a bra. I was freaked out at the idea of some stranger seeing me naked in my poor-fitting bra. I thought that getting fit for a bra would require the fitter to touch and poke me, and I cringed at the thought of it, but this was hardly the case. So I finally got up the courage to head to Nordstrom to get properly fitted for a bra. Much to my relief, the entire fitting consisted of going into a fitting room with the saleswoman and taking off my shirt, but keeping my bra on. All she did was to put a tape measure around me and measure my under bust ribcage area and my bust area as I describe below -- totally painless experience! From there she recommended a size and a couple of bras she thought would work well for me, and then left me to try them on for myself.

The good news is that I was wearing the correct size bra. You can actually do the same measuring at home - all you need is a tape measure and a mirror so that you can make sure the tape measure is in place. You need to take two measurements - one around your rib cage directly under your bust to determine the band size and one around the fullest part of your breasts to determine the cup size. You shouldn't stretch the tape measure too tightly, nor should you let it sag or leave any gaps. This will ensure the most accurate sizing.

According to Susan Nethero, a professional bra fitter who has been featured on Oprah and the author of Bra Talk, a proper fitting bra will support your breast so that it is midway between your shoulder and elbow. Keep in mind that although these two measurements determine your bra size, each bra will fit each woman differently. This is especially the case for women with larger breasts. For example, the Wacoal Full Figure Seamless Wire Bodysuede Ultra Bra in 40DDD fits me perfectly while the Wacoal Seamless Minimizer in the same size does not. Don't be like me and be intimidated by the size on the tag -- choose a bra that fits well and looks good on you. With a proper fitting plus size bra, no one is going to look at you and think, "I think she's a 40DDD." However, if you're wearing a 42C, and you should be wearing a 40DDD, trust me, people will notice.

What I like to do when bra shopping is to start with a few bras in my size according to my measurements. Depending on how those fit, I will either try on different style bras entirely, or try on bras in the same model in slightly larger or smaller band and cup sizes until it looks and feels right. The right bra should be comfortable and not be poking or squeezing anywhere. A bra with proper support should not make your breasts look saggy either. One way I test it is to put on a fairly snug t-shirt over the bra and see how it looks in the mirror from different angles. This method has been fairly successful for me which is why it's even more important to find online plus size bra retailers with low shipping prices and good return policies.