[uhuccup]

Oops, sorry uhuccup.. I should have clarified i was not trying to answer your question but asking my own by hijacking your thread. Sorry! Anyone know he answer?

That said, maybe your bra is one of those ones that require you to add 4" to your actual measurement. I read on here that is still a common but outdated way of sizing bras.

I noticed that ruch
And I answered - because you asked what benefits a properly fitting bra has.
It gives you support. It is comfortable. Most of the weight is carried by the band and not by the straps.

No, it isn't like that. I live in Austria. Here we calculate our bra size in cm, not in inches.
In cm I've got 70. That makes me a 70 band size - which is a 32 in the UK.
But in the UK there are inches to calculate the bra size. I'm 27.5" underbust, that makes me a 28 band. That would be a 60 cm in Austria.
It's weird and maybe difficult to understand if you don't live in Austria..
(Because I can't explain very well ..)