My wife has ridden a road bike for a number of years. She is not a great rider, and doesn't do a lot of miles, but she doesn't have a problem with riding drop bars.

Setup is the key. Her drop bars are raised up higher than her saddle. She also has interrupter brake levers on the top bar so she can ride more upright at times and still have the brakes close by. You don't have to always ride in the drops or the hoods. This lets you ride more upright when you want and more aerodynamic when you want. It really works well for her. She is 10 years older than you are.

For comfort, ride a minimum of 25mm wide tires. And pick a woman specific saddle. My wife likes the Serfas RX, but you need to find one you like.

You need to figure out the gearing you want. Are there hills that you struggle riding? Are you pushing a big gear all out? It is important to understand what faster for you will be. If you are at 10/12 mph average, you may never be pushing a 50-11 gear ratio at 30mph. My wife rarely gets into her top gear of 46-12, but she does use her 30-34 on some hills. You need to find a shop that will work with you to fit your current cycling needs with some growth for the future... within realistic goals and not wishful thinking. Because if you outgrow the gearing, you have probably moved beyond the bike.

John