A new study shows probiotics may prevent preeclampsia and premature birth if taken at the right time in pregnancy.

Here’s another reason to load up on yogurt when you’re expecting: A recent study published in the journal BMJ Open found that drinking probiotic milk was linked with a lower risk of preeclampsia (dangerously high blood pressure) as well as a lesser chance of preterm birth—but only if consumed at certain points in pregnancy.

Norwegian and Swedish researchers looked at data gathered from more than 70,000 pregnancies as part of the Norwegian and Child Cohort Study. “We observed an association between probiotic milk intake in early pregnancy and a 21 percent lower risk of preterm delivery, and probiotic milk intake in late pregnancy—the second half—and a 20 percent lower risk of preeclampsia,” study author Dr. Mahsa Nordqvist, an OBGYN at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Sweden, tells Parents.com.

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