Do female-specific bikes really make the difference?

[estronat]

My LBS put a longer stem on my Vita Comp today and had me try it out. I definitely needed a longer stem as I was too crunched in on the bike. My height warrants a size XS but my body reach warranted the size S, so basically we are turning a size XS into the reach of a S. Remains to be seen how it feels on my shoulders and neck. They did this adjustment after I had completed a 6 mi ride first and came to the store, so there could be some residual soreness from that. According to their fitter, the goal to get in the right position is not to raise the handlebar height, but to be able to be stretched out more according the the person's upper body length/reach, hence the longer stem for a better fit. He said I have short legs and a longer torso, although overall I'm extremely short (barely 5'0").

Just wanted to update the group on that.