DETROIT — Things were happening to her body that Dorothy Robinson couldn't quite understand.

She works out regularly and strives to eat right, yet it was more difficult to control her weight. She started having mood swings like she hadn't experienced since puberty. "Normally, I'm a strong person and I can deal with anything, but so much was happening, my emotions were up and down," Robinson, says.

A cousin told her, "You're not going crazy; you may be going through menopause," Robinson recalls.

An avid reader, Robinson, headed to the bookstore where she found comfort and information in "Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause," one of a series of books that has helped inform and empower women about their health since it was originally published in 1970.

IN PLAIN LANGUAGE

The first "Our Bodies, Ourselves" was groundbreaking because it spoke to women about their health in language they could understand and because it encouraged women to become partners with their physicians in their medical care.

Since then, a series of updates have come out, including "Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause," published in 2006 and "Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth," published this year. The books serve as a primary teaching and learning tool for women's healthcare advocates and for ordinary women who want to know more about how their bodies work.

Judy Norsigian, one of the primary authors of the series of books and the executive director of Our Bodies Ourselves — the Boston-based information, advocacy and support network that produces the books — was in Ann Arbor recently doing what the book does, speaking to women in plain language about their bodies and how to take care of them.

"When we were first published there were no other health books written for women in lay language," says Norsigian. "We are still the most comprehensive. And I think what still resonates with women — and we're very careful about this — is using language that is clearly written, accessible and nonjudgmental."

Norsigian, a nationally respected women's healthcare advocate, has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows, including "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "Good Morning America."

"Our Bodies, Ourselves" grew out of the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s. Women were hungry for information about their health and tired of being treated paternalistically by physicians who belittled their concerns or spoke to them in jargon that made no sense.

It's that clear, understandable language that has attracted women like Robinson and others to the books over the years.

"The book gave me words to feelings I couldn't quite put my finger on," says Robinson, 52, a project analyst for a technology services company.

"Menopause was not something my mom ever talked about. But the book opened the door for dialogue. It helped me to know that it's a natural part of a woman's life. And not only has it helped me, it's a resource I've referred family members and friends to."

FOR ALL AGES

The books take on a wide range of subjects for women of all ages.

Amrita George, 22, of Ann Arbor, says she was first introduced to the book in a women's health class at the University of Michigan about three years ago.

Unlike many of her books, she held on to it rather than try to resell it at the end of the class.

"Regardless of your knowledge level, it reaches out to you," says George, a research technician at the university. "I've turned to the book when I had personal health issues. It's a good place to turn if you don't necessarily want to talk to your family."

George, who plans to apply to medical school, says the book also taught her the importance of talking to people in language they easily understand.

"There's a need to be approachable to people and it shows a way to do that."

Janet Ruth Hankin, 61, a Wayne State University professor of women's health, has turned to the books for both professional and personal reasons.

She uses it in teaching a women's health course and as a source of information when she was struggling with infertility issues.

"It empowers women because it gives them accurate, important information so when they visit their physicians, they know what kinds of questions to ask," Hankin says. "It's extremely useful to read to understand one's options as a patient."