Going off birth control after 10+ years

Hi everyone,

I’ve been on birth control since I was like 14 years old. I honestly don’t even know if it had caused me any issues because I dont know what my adult body is like without it. Recently over the past year, I’ve developed bad gi issues, acne, weight gain, vitamin deficiencies (b12 and ferritin), and now have breakthrough bleeding with cramping that’s lasted a few weeks (have never had this on the pill or in my life). Before birth control I had terrible terrible periods, they were regular and lasted 7 days but the cramps and flow was just awful, hence why I went on it. The pill has worked great for me up until now and I feel like my body is telling me it’s time to stop (along with the fact that I have bad circulation issues and don’t want to risk blood clots). Also I had my hormone levels checked on the pill and all were normal but I assume it could mask any imbalances.

Because of the non stop bleeding I stopped my pill cold turkey two days ago. I have an ultra sound scheduled in two days to see if this could all be caused my cysts or fibroids or something along those lines. Either way, I want to give my body a break from the pill. Anyways, after looking into it some more I’m now so worried that I am going to have worse weight gain, acne, and even worse gut issues than I do now. I am also scared that my terrible periods will come back.

I am really just looking for anyone who maybe has similar symptoms or experiences as me and maybe could share their experiences with me whether it’s good or bad. Or just any tips to help regulate everything as I transition to being off. Thank you all.