Hi J.,
The lowest dose of hormones will come from Mirena. I too did not want the effects of hormones. How I made my decision was this...I had been pregnant twice on the pill...not safe; you cannot always tell right away if you lost the NuvaRing, and my insurance did not pay for it....soI was left with the IUD. I lost my insurance before I could have it done, and my OB's office had a program to pay for the Mirena. There was cramping, but the most severe was about an hour after the insertion. I felt it again the first time my husband and I had sex. I haven't felt it since, not even cramping. Of course that is just me. It seems to be the safest form of BC. The hormones are released in the exact spot that they are needed instead of having to go through your bloodstream, so the dose is extremely small. It does not affect me like the pill did AT ALL. In fact, I feel ....normal? I feel like I did whe nI got off birth control altogether when we decided to have my daughter. I was off almost a year before we conceived her, so basically, I have no side affects.
I hope this helps.