‘My big 38JJ boobs gave me arthritis however NHS refused surgical procedure – now I’m in £8.5k debt’
Mandy Humphries, 47, from Southport, suffered years of chronic back pain from her 38JJ breasts but was refused an NHS breast reduction because her BMI was over 27
(Image: Mandy Humphries / SWNS)
A mum secured an £8,500 loan against her mortgage to reduce her 38JJ breasts by 12 cup sizes – after the NHS refused to perform the surgery.
Mandy Humphries, 47, endured constant pain as her nine-pound breasts weighed her down, making even basic household chores a painful ordeal. The education sales consultant from Southport was informed that due to her BMI exceeding 27, she wasn’t eligible for a reduction on the NHS – despite her breasts barely reducing in size following a weight loss of four and a half stone.
Out of desperation, Mandy took out a loan against her mortgage to fund an £8,500 reduction at a private clinic, which she’ll be repaying over the next five years.
Mandy Humphries, before breast reduction(Image: Mandy Humphries / SWNS)
After the operation, she dropped to a C cup in August 2026, and stated that the procedure has already transformed her life.
Mandy said: “They were massive; they looked like two pieces of meat hanging up in the butcher’s shop. They went right down to my belly button; they looked like a massive turnip at the end of a pair of tights.
“The BMI criteria is archaic; the size of my breasts was not normal. I know of women whose breasts are a lot smaller than mine who’ve got reductions on the NHS because they are slimmer.
“I’m excited to be able to do the housework and take the dog for a walk without a massive bra on. It’s changed my life so much already.”
Mandy Humphries, after breast reduction(Image: Mandy Humphries / SWNS)
Mandy has always had large breasts, and by age 17, she was a double D, despite having a very slim frame. As she aged, she expanded to a size G, but her struggles really started after she became pregnant with her first child in 2007.
“They just went huge, and they never stopped growing,” she said. By 2023 Mandy’s breasts had reached a 38K and were making her daily existence incredibly challenging.
“It was horrendous. I was just in pain all of the time. It was really affecting my quality of life”, she said. She continuously battled fungal infections and rashes, triggered by the muslin cloth she used to support her breasts constantly rubbing against her skin.
In 2024, she received a diagnosis of degenerative disc disorder, a condition where the discs between the spine deteriorate, and in 2025, she was told she had arthritis at the top of her spine, both ailments resulting from the burden of her breasts.
She was denied surgery because her BMI was too high(Image: Mandy Humphries / SWNS)
Basic daily activities such as preparing dinner and bending down to retrieve items caused Mandy excruciating pain.
“I’d be absolutely sweating doing the hoovering; it was absolutely awful,” she said. Beyond enduring constant discomfort, Mandy’s intimate life was also impacted by her breast size.
“My husband hasn’t seen my breasts since I was 35,” she said.” Whenever we’d have intercourse, I’d keep my bra on, it massively affected our intimacy.”
Throughout the years, Mandy had visited her GP numerous times requesting a breast reduction because of her back pain but was repeatedly informed she wouldn’t qualify due to her BMI being too elevated.
The surgery cost thousands (Image: Mandy Humphries / SWNS)
In March 2023, Mandy consulted her doctor as she had been feeling poorly and was informed she had high cholesterol and needed to shed weight.
Embarking on a weight loss journey, she managed to slim down from 18st 7lbs to 14st 2lbs by quitting alcohol and hitting the gym. However, her breasts only reduced in size from a K to a double J.
“Even though I’d lost over four stone, they hadn’t really got smaller; they were just longer and heavier,” she revealed.
In December 2024, Mandy sought a quote for a breast reduction at the Pall Mall private hospital in Newton-le-Willows, which came to £8,500.
By January 2025, she opted to pursue the procedure through the NHS and was scheduled for a consultation at St Helen’s Hospital, Merseyside. But, five days before her appointment, Mandy received a crushing phone call.
Mandy decided to go private with the surgery(Image: Mandy Humphries / SWNS)
“They said they couldn’t go ahead with it because my BMI was over 27, and offered me some weight management – I was hysterical,” she confessed.
Out of desperation, Mandy took out a loan against her mortgage to fund the surgery privately. “It’s going to cost me £250 a month over the next five years but I just saw it as an investment in my health,”she explained. “I didn’t care if I lost my nipples or they ended up a different shape, I just needed the pain to stop.”
On August 4, Mandy underwent a three-and-a-half-hour-long operation during which doctors removed seven pounds of breast tissue.
“That’s as big as a newborn baby,” she remarked. “And the crazy thing is that if the NHS had taken the weight of my boobs off, my BMI would have been 27.” Her breasts are now a C cup, as that was the smallest size it was safe for her to go down to, but Mandy would have preferred to have gone smaller.
“I asked for an A Cup, I almost wanted to look like a boy because all they’ve caused me is pain,” she said.
For the first six weeks after her surgery, Mandy isn’t able to lift anything or drive a car, and it will be 12 months until her breasts are properly healed. Since the “lifechanging” surgery, Mandy hasn’t had any pain at all in her back and is now so much more confident in her skin.
