Breast reduction surgery takes Megan from cup size ‘G to H’ to ‘C to D’ – and ready for the gym

Megan’s been groped and in hospital with back pain because of her size H breasts, but after a 10-year wait, she’s had a reduction – and it’s changed her life.

Megan Quinlivan had breast reduction in surgery this year and is looking forward to joining a gym. Picture: Emma Brasier

New research revealing women with large busts exercise less has sparked calls for more accessible breast reductions.

The link between a woman’s breast size and her propensity for exercise has been revealed in a sweeping study of recreational runners from across the globe.

The Adelaide research aimed to investigate how breast size affected exercise habits, as well as overall health and wellbeing. It found women with larger breasts tended to exercise less frequently while they also avoided high-intensity exercise.

In addition, there was a correlation between bra size and life satisfaction and happiness with higher levels of self-satisfaction among those with AA, A, B and C cup sizes compared to those with DD, E, F, G and H, or greater.

Megan Quinlivan before her breast reduction surgery. Picture: Supplied

Megan Quinlivan had breast reduction in surgery this year after being on the waiting list for 10 years. Picture: Emma Brasier

Almost 2000 women involved in the parkrun program in Australia, England and South Africa were surveyed as part of the study.

Lead author Claire Baxter, a clinical registrar in reconstructive surgery at the Flinders Medical Centre, said the study’s findings were conclusive.

“Intuitively, a lot of us would understand that carrying significant extra weight on your chest would make exercising and high-intensity exercising difficult for some women but the results (of this study) were very, very clear and convincing,” Dr Baxter said.

Megan Quinlivan after her breast reduction surgery Picture: Supplied

“There was very strong evidence to suggest that decreasing breast size for women with large breasts – around DD and greater – was associated with increased exercise frequency … enjoyment and willingness to exercise in a group.”

The study sample included 56 women who had undergone breast reduction surgery.

Flinders University Associate Professor Nicola Dean, a specialist plastic surgeon and president of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons, said the study added weight to calls for more accessible, publicly-funded breast reduction and other interventions.

“There is huge amount of research going on in Australia and elsewhere to understand the relationship between health and exercise,” she said.

“This research is exceptionally important because breast reduction surgery is sometimes regarded as trivial or ‘just cosmetic’ … but if the fact your big, very heavy breasts are stopping you from participating in community exercise, then that is really important.”

Prof Dean said while breast reduction rates had doubled in Australia since 2015 there remained “some social stimga” around it and patients often faced long wait times.

Adelaide’s Megan Quinlivan, 25, had breast reduction surgery in April, after waiting 10 years for it.

A rare condition called gigantomastia caused excessive and rapid growth of her breasts.

“I went from a kid having nothing on my chest to going through puberty and growing large breasts which were around ‘double D’ … and they kept growing,” she said.

The security industry worker said the recent procedure had been life-changing, reducing her from a cup size of between “G and H” to a “C to D” – and removing about 3kg in the process.

“It feels kind of surreal, it is such a dramatic change … just being able to be comfortable to go for a walk or a jog is amazing,” she said.

“(Prior to surgery) I had a lot of pain and issues with my back due to the weight of my breasts and was in and out of hospital due to the toll it took (on my back) and on medication for the pain.

“It made working difficult – working in security there is a lot of static stuff ... there was a social side to it too, I’ve been sexually harassed and groped since I was 16 … all sorts, constantly eyes on me.”

She’s now looking forward to joining a gym, too embarrassed to go when she had larger breasts for fear she’d be “ogled”.

“I used to not want to step into a gym because I didn’t want people’s eyes on me … even just walking in a T-shirt I felt self-conscious,” she said.