What kinds of problems I may encounter?

[whowhatwhen]

All the while, you will bang them against things and it will hurt.

I don't think the sore boobs ever stop.
Nine months in and the nipples are still painfully sore and small dogs who love climbing always seem to step on them.

[Nigella]

Tenderness can last for quite a while, think of it as going through puberty. A genetic female has upward of 5 or more years of puberty, you will be just the same

[celeste26]

Look to the size of your mother's and sister's boobage to see the potential you have. If they only have small ones guess how big yours will be (without augmentation that is.) Then wait the 5/6 years. Of course nutrition helps and staying away from the things that you know are not good for you.

[I Am Paula]

Yeah...My sister has tiny boobs. All the other women in the family have huge boobs. Guess which ones I inherited.
If the lord don't bless you will good genes, better hope he blesses you with a good surgeon.

[phylis anne]

" I am Paula"
I agree my "girls are little yet but I still look at them and say "some peoples children"!!!
hugs phylis anne

[MsVal]

The biggest thing I would say is that you can't have the answer you seek. [...] I thought your question might be very general and there is really no answer to it. This is something that you do and see what happens. [...] If you are doing this, see what happens, and if something develops then i'm sure people here will be able to relate to your experience and figure out the best way to handle things.

Okay, that's a fair answer Kaitlyn. I can accept that the experiences are so varied that it is impossible to say with any degree of certainty what I could experience. I will, of course keep in touch with the fine people here as things change.

The real question that would I have for you is: Why?

Are breasts something special for you - and to have them is important? For what reason?
[...]What if after all the hormones the results are unsatisfactory, what will you do then?
[...]how to find the right fitting garments. Have you taken your measurements?
[...]Are you planning to live the life of a woman? [...]Or is it just a fancy?

Those are very good questions Kathryn. I have some answers, but I'm not personally convinced that they all are the right answer.

Breasts are not all that important to me, at least not large ones. If the goal is to blend, or maybe pass, then I could do that with forms and no one would have an issue but me. I wouldn't be authentic. I have very little authenticity as it is. This is due in large part to the promise I made to my dear wife that I would present as a man whenever the children are around, and someone is home 24/7. I get by with underdressing and imagining I am a woman.

I have low expectations for speed, size, and uniformity. As I encounter problems I will do as Kaitlyn suggested, ask the ladies on the forum for help.

Genetic women come in various sizes and shapes. Due to these differences, they may not be able to wear some styles at all, and must make compromises on some others. Realistically, I will have a greater challenge, and will make greater compromises. My measurements aren't too far off the bell curve for a 5' 5" 140# woman.

"live the life of a woman" ... that's the tough question. I want to believe that I am still a plain, ordinary crossdresser. I have too much doubt to say for sure that I am. My future will be much simpler if I am. I cannot answer that tough question today.

[...]Are you already living as a woman in public? Do you plan to?
Do you suffer with gd and hope hormones will give relief?
Would breast enhancement possibly be a better choice?

Again, more good things to ponder.

At this time, family circumstances make it very difficult to life as a woman at all. I have a plan for breaks of one to two weeks late this summer. I expect to learn much more about myself.

I understand that hormones are not a panacea, and do not expect them to fix emotional issues. I have a prescription for medication that is specific to emotional issues, and it helps a great deal.

BA is fast and effective, but costly. It would have been possible while I was working.

Thanks, Angela, and thanks everyone else for your helpful words.

Best wishes
MsVal

[Kaitlyn Michele]

I think your further thoughts demonstrate that you are serious about trying to improve your quality of life and perhaps feel HRT and breast growth would do that.
I would not dismiss the possibility that it could work for you if your expectations are low and you are lucky.

If you are suffering from gender dysphoria then you are well served to be exploring this topic but by far the best thing you can do for yourself is get dressed "as yourself" and walk out that door and start interacting with people and being viewed as the person you feel you are.. I really believe you can tell a lot from this experience both as a practical matter (passing, appearance, fear, test the waters) and as less tangible feeling that you belong or you don't. It will no doubt mitigate any negative feelings you have now and how you feel about it over time will help inform you about what you need to do... lots of older folk that live as women do not take HRT

HRT does not replace living. Trust me if you feel more authentic all that is likely to do is make you want more. That feeling of authenticity is the whole ballgame.
This means that you need to talk to your wife and negotiate time away or private time where you can get out there and test those real life waters temporarily and see how that works for you.