Women tend to have problems with too much pressure on their tender front parts when they ride road bikes with aggressive racing posture (bars way lower than saddle). Brooks saddles can be less than ideal under these circumstances.
I've had a couple of Brooks so far and have applied tons of Proofhide and ridden thousands of miles on them both, but the leather stayed as hard as ever even though they did form to my sit bones. Luckily, my riding posture is that of a touring bike not a racing bike, so I don't have the problem of too much pressure on my girly parts in front. My Brooks are very comfy for me....UNLESS I ride with too thick chamois pads- too much padding foam presses up against me too much and is uncomfortable.
My DH, a brooks fan, is trying out a Selle Anatomica right now with a cut out. It seems good, and the leather is much more flexible than the Brooks.