The cutest little IUD you ever did see

Seriously, German designer Ronen Kadushin’s open-source concept for new IUD design made out of a one-cent copper coin is adorable and–with a price tag of just €1.25–a steal.

Kadushin’s design isn’t actually workable–yet. (REPEAT: Do NOT try to put this little bear head in your uterus!) But, like Jenna at Jezebel, I’m excited to see the IUD getting the attention.

I became an IUD evangelist about a day after I got my Mirena, which was–not at all coincidentally–around the time the cramping from the insertion stopped. Over the past two years, my fondness for that magical little “T” in my uterus has only grown with each day that I spend forgetting that it’s there. The thrill of not getting my period every month and not having that mean I’m pregnant truly never gets old.

Of course, there are pros and cons to any form of birth control and the IUD isn’t for everyone. But it’s definitely due for a comeback. While the percentage of American contraception users with an IUD has reached 5.5% in recent years (up from just 1.3% back in 1995), the numbers still seriously lag behind much of the rest of the world.

Last month, Amanda Marcotte speculated that IUDs may see a spike in popularity thanks to no co-pay insurance coverage of birth control. In the U.S., an IUD can cost more than $1,000 out-of-pocket–a sum that is pretty cheap when divided over 5 or 10 years but really damn expensive upfront. Removing that cost barrier for some women will be a good first step. Cheap and accessible IUDs for everyone in the future? Even better.