I have to admit, I was really wary about getting and using a DivaCup when I first heard about it. The fact that I was feeling "over" with the irritation from pads and tampons helped nudge me along. I used Insteads before I got the DivaCup, but I had a lot of issues with those, so I bought a DivaCup.
I won't lie, there can be a bit of a learning fold (what fold for insertion works best for you, how often you need to empty it, etc) but other than that - it was the best product to ever happen to me. For the first period or two I used it, I did use some thin pads just because I wasn't sure when/how often to empty it on my heavy days but I didn't have any leaking.
Since then, I've been using it for just about every period!
I have Endometriosis so my periods are painful and really heavy - but over time, I've learned to figure out when and how often to empty it. On my heaviest day it can go for up to an hour before I need to empty it (yeah, they can be THAT bad) and on the light days sometimes I only need to empty it ONCE in 12 hours.
Like I said, there is a bit of a learning curve, but as long as you know your body and are comfortable, it really does work. I have only bought pads two or three times in the last few years (and it was recently) because of the super heavy flow days and I had overflowed, but other than that?
I'll never use anything else again.
Hope this helps! Feel free to ask more questions and I'll be glad to answer. :)