Fecal urgency is a medical symptom where there is a sudden, strong need to defecate that is difficult to defer. The difference between fecal urgency and urge fecal incontinence is that in fecal urgency the person usually has enough time to reach a toilet and there is no involuntary leakage of stool. In urge fecal incontinence, there is a sudden, strong urge to defecate, and the person has little or no ability to prevent defecation. Fecal urgency warning time is the length of time from the first sensation of need to defecate until voluntary defecation or incontinence.