Sharing her story.

Former Bachelorette Rachel Recchia took to TikTok earlier this month to open up about her upcoming breast reduction surgery.

And over this past week, she explained what led her to deciding to get this surgery.

In a series of TikTok videos, Rachel revealed that she started looking into breast reduction when she was 17 years old.

She explained that she was a competitive cheerleader in high school and wanted to cheer in college, but the pain from her “really large” breast size was affecting her ability to exercise.

Rachel shared, “I was having really bad back problems and I was having to go to the chiropractor at age 17. I just remember I would have to wear three sports bras at once to try to make myself look like I didn’t have the appearance that I did have. I also recall this memory when I was looking online for chest compression bras so I could hide them not only when I was working out, but also at school as well.”

The former Bachelorette explained why she didn’t go ahead and get the surgery when she first started looking into it.

She said, “The main reason I didn’t look super far into it during high school and college was because of school. Getting this surgery would take a lot of time to recover. Like it would be a month when I wasn’t going to be able to cheer and I also wasn’t going to be able to fly planes. Anyone who’s in aviation knows that flying is a whole different beast when it comes to time. My senior year, I started really looking into actually getting the surgery done.”

When she was a senior in college, Rachel went to her primary care provider, who said she would be a great candidate for the surgery but told Rachel she’d have to go on pain medication to “prove it wasn’t manageable with medication,” but Rachel didn’t want to be on heavy duty pain meds.

She decided to try physical therapy and went ahead with filing a claim through her insurance to get the surgery done.

Rachel said, “I’m pretty sure they even had to send in a topless photo of me. The fact that it takes all these steps just to get this surgery is insane to me. Eventually, all this to be said, I did not get approved. All I wanted in my 20s was to just enjoy my body and to be able to be proud of it and like it. I feel like I spent all of my teenage years and my early 20s really trying to hide my body.”

Rachel got vulnerable and shared that many of her Bachelorette looks were catered to her feeling self-conscious about her body.

She said, “That’s why a lot of the time you guys would see me really covered up. I would always try on outfits or dresses with our stylist Cary Fetman, and I remember saying once I get my breast reduction, I could wear this. I got to the point where I have so many tops, bathing suits, and bras that are saved for when I get this because I knew that one day I would do it and I would be wearing little tops.”

So while it won’t be covered by insurance, Rachel decided the surgery was important enough to her to go ahead and pay for it herself.

She said she was nervous about saying anything because there are stigmas about getting any work done, even if it’s also for her health, but she’s been grateful and overwhelmed by all the support she’s received.

Rachel said her Bachelor Nation BFF and roommate Genevieve Parisi will be taking care of her as she recovers from the surgery early next month.