However, some of the counselors I work with disagree. Karen, it often takes a long time to find an adoptive mother. Nancy, this depends on which program you choose and which agency you elect to work with. On average a couple who finds a surrogate mother will wait 3-8 months before they can start the medical side of surrogacy. Remember everyone has to undergo Social Disease Testing and you will be surprised how often someone comes back positive for herpes, Hep C, etc.
Every positive tests means re-testing and delays.
Then there is the issue of maternity coverage and effective dates. Generally you will wait a while for insurance to be effective. The chance of a surrogate mother changing her mind is fairly small. The real risk is a high risk pregnancy and a multiple pregnancy. That is because a surrogate mother is usually a person who has had previous children of her own and healthy pregnancies.