We’re told boobs are sexy! Bouncy! Nutritious food banks even! But what happens when they betray you?  Every year in Australia, around 20,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Forty per cent of those will need a mastectomy, surgery to have the breast tissue removed. Some of those women will choose not reconstruct, to stay "flat." Yumi Stynes speaks to "flatties" about their relationship with their new bodies. You'll hear from women who've had one or both breasts removed about how their decision has reshaped their sex lives and body image and how they've found hope in new forms. If you've got boobs, or know someone who does, this episode will make you question how you think about them.  Featured in this episode:  Dr Charlotte Tottman, psycho-oncologist   Useful links:  Upfront About Breast Cancer – What You Don't Know Until You Do, with Dr Charlotte Tottman  Breast Cancer Network Australia  So Brave Breast Cancer Charity  Mastectomy: Breast Surgery and Recovery    What to listen to next:   Will we ever have a cure for endometriosis?  Embracing imperfection was the key to Astrid’s success  Getting to the bottom of IBS  You can binge more episodes of Ladies, We Need to Talk on the ABC listen app (in Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.     What to read next:    How Turia Pitt's body image changed in motherhood   What loving someone with an addiction or dependence can look like  The dark side of being a perfectionist   Why genital herpes does not mean the end of your sex life  This episode contains references to breast cancer, going flat, staying flat, flatties, reconstruction, surgery, chemotherapy, body image, femininity, boobs, psychology, mental health, gender. 

Ladies, We Need To Talk

ABC

Life without boobs: Meet the women staying flat after breast cancer

DEC 8, 202527 MIN
Ladies, We Need To Talk

Life without boobs: Meet the women staying flat after breast cancer

DEC 8, 202527 MIN

Description

<p>We’re told boobs are sexy! Bouncy! Nutritious food banks even! But what happens when they betray you? </p><p>Every year in Australia, around 20,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Forty per cent of those will need a mastectomy, surgery to have the breast tissue removed. Some of those women will choose not reconstruct, to stay "flat."</p><p>Yumi Stynes speaks to "flatties" about their relationship with their new bodies. You'll hear from women who've had one or both breasts removed about how their decision has reshaped their sex lives and body image and how they've found hope in new forms.</p><p>If you've got boobs, or know someone who does, this episode will make you question how you think about them. </p><p>Featured in this episode: </p><ul><li>Dr Charlotte Tottman, psycho-oncologist  </li></ul><p>Useful links:</p><p><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/upfront-about-breast-cancer-what-you-dont-know-until/id1595689416" target="_blank">Upfront About Breast Cancer – What You Don't Know Until You Do, with Dr Charlotte Tottman</a></p><p><a href="https://www.bcna.org.au/" target="_blank">Breast Cancer Network Australia</a></p><p><a href="https://sobrave.org.au/?srsltid=AfmBOoqOT4jql8my26HRSZ1DyIz7WpSxr_aBt2nMYGcjKNVRU42cbjoA" target="_blank">So Brave Breast Cancer Charity</a></p><p><a href="https://nbcf.org.au/about-breast-cancer/treatment/mastectomy/" target="_blank">Mastectomy: Breast Surgery and Recovery</a></p><p>What to listen to next: </p><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/ladies-we-need-to-talk/endometriosis-ladies-we-need-to-talk/105802854" target="_blank">Will we ever have a cure for endometriosis?</a></p><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/ladies-we-need-to-talk/astrid-jorgensen-ladies-we-need-to-talk/106086796" target="_blank">Embracing imperfection was the key to Astrid’s success</a></p><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/ladies-we-need-to-talk/ladies-we-need-to-talk-ibs/106031406" target="_blank">Getting to the bottom of IBS</a></p><p>You can binge more episodes of Ladies, We Need to Talk on the ABC listen app (in Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.  </p><p>What to read next:  </p><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-16/how-turia-pitts-body-image-changed-after-birth/105463742" target="_blank">How Turia Pitt's body image changed in motherhood</a></p><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-28/loving-someone-with-an-addiction-or-dependence/105921866" target="_blank">What loving someone with an addiction or dependence can look like</a></p><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-04/the-price-of-perfectionism-for-women/105585186" target="_blank">The dark side of being a perfectionist</a></p><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-28/why-herpes-does-not-mean-the-end-of-your-sex-life/105693090" target="_blank">Why genital herpes does not mean the end of your sex life</a></p><p>This episode contains references to breast cancer, going flat, staying flat, flatties, reconstruction, surgery, chemotherapy, body image, femininity, boobs, psychology, mental health, gender. </p>