Luckily, most hospitals have electronic records now, so mix ups are less common.

If you are sexually active (even if you aren't) you do want to be able to be open with your doctor, completely. I know I would never have been comfortable with my mom in the room, even at my first GYN visit. I wanted to ask questions that I knew were not my mom's business, so I choose my own doctor (who was in the same practice as my mother's, because of where we lived, but a different doctor) and was able to be honest and open. I also used Planned Parenthood, when money was tight and for my first forays into prescribed birth control. (Which I obtained before I ever had PIV sex for the first time.)

Whatever you are most comfortable with, though. I've always been open with my two older girls, both of whom are active, I used to go to neurologist visits with them, and sometimes when they were sick after the age of 16 or so. But, I let them on their own when it came to sexual health. They chose to use Planned Parenthood at first and it worked well for them.

when i have health insurance and access to care, i go at least once a year for the annual and more than once a year if i have any other needs. i'm not shy about talking about sex with doctors. however, i lost health insurance last year so i haven't been to the gynecologist in about 18 months now - if i don't have health insurance again by january i'm probably going to swallow the costs and just go to planned parenthood. i do std testing at least once every 6 mos to a year though.